1
as in collisions
a forceful coming together of two things
the whole railway platform shook from the shock of the two trains colliding
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in astonishments
the state of being strongly impressed by something unexpected or unusual
were in shock after they heard the news of the death of the president
Synonyms & Similar Words
1
as in appalls
to cause an unpleasant surprise for
Mom was shocked by the terrible news that her cousin had died in an accident I was shocked to find out that I was the victim of identity theft
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in surprises
to make a strong impression on (someone) with something unexpected
were shocked by the way the law against public intoxication was constantly being broken
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in scares
to strike with fear
the sudden appearance of the ghost shocked us to the core
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of shocks
Alaa Shahine Salha, semafor.com, 11 Mar. 2026
Experts say one option that could help tame prices at the pump is tapping the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, the nation's emergency oil stockpile designed to cushion supply shocks.
—Megan Cerullo, CBS News, 10 Mar. 2026
But there are key differences between today’s oil shocks and past ones.
—Matt Egan, CNN Money, 10 Mar. 2026
While the magnitude of these surges varies by context, the temporal clustering of activity in both cases demonstrates that social media visibility is driven by discrete political and moral shocks rather than sustained baseline engagement.
—Arnaud Kurze, The Conversation, 9 Mar. 2026
And the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, a supply buffer designed to mitigate price shocks by stockpiling emergency stores of crude oil, remains nowhere near full.
—Tristan Bove, Fortune, 9 Mar. 2026
Energy infrastructure under attack threatens global supplies as shipping diverts from critical trade routes, potentially sparking economic shocks worldwide and reshaping energy markets.
—Julia Frankel, Los Angeles Times, 3 Mar. 2026
Additionally, South Korea's stock market is particularly sensitive to swings in oil prices, meaning geopolitical shocks in the Middle East tend to trigger short-term volatility, said Daniel Yoo, global market strategist at Yuanta Securities.
—Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 3 Mar. 2026
Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 28 Feb. 2026
The scheme shocks their high-strung son Harold (Roberts), whose wife, Neha (Gill), is a local police officer.
—Max Goldbart, Deadline, 18 Feb. 2026
By contrast, in the United States, employers are not required to offer or contribute to a retirement plan at all – a fact that shocks many workers with pensions.
—Teresa Ghilarducci, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026
That moment is similar to one in the show where another closeted hockey star, Scott Hunter (François Arnaud) shocks the world by kissing his secret boyfriend on center ice after winning a championship.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 27 Jan. 2026
That can change if a patient has an implantable cardioverter defibrillator, or ICD, which shocks the heart back to beating normally.
—Ciara McCarthy, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Jan. 2026
Violence shocks neighbors Neighbors said the violence unfolded in just seconds.
—Andrew Ramos, CBS News, 10 Jan. 2026
Rather than comply, Deborah shocks everyone by telling the audience the truth and loses her show.
—Jenelle Riley, Variety, 6 Jan. 2026
The thing that outrages, the thing that shocks, the thing that elicits the greatest response, and the greatest response of all of those emotional reactions is outrage, is fear, is shock, is anger.
—David Frum, The Atlantic, 31 Dec. 2025
Noun
Understanding past oil shocks is important, but relying on them too heavily can encourage the wrong conclusion — that we are either headed for a 1979-style crisis or that the economic consequences will be negligible.
—Alaa Shahine Salha, semafor.com, 11 Mar. 2026
Experts say one option that could help tame prices at the pump is tapping the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, the nation's emergency oil stockpile designed to cushion supply shocks.
—Megan Cerullo, CBS News, 10 Mar. 2026
But there are key differences between today’s oil shocks and past ones.
—Matt Egan, CNN Money, 10 Mar. 2026
While the magnitude of these surges varies by context, the temporal clustering of activity in both cases demonstrates that social media visibility is driven by discrete political and moral shocks rather than sustained baseline engagement.
—Arnaud Kurze, The Conversation, 9 Mar. 2026
And the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, a supply buffer designed to mitigate price shocks by stockpiling emergency stores of crude oil, remains nowhere near full.
—Tristan Bove, Fortune, 9 Mar. 2026
Energy infrastructure under attack threatens global supplies as shipping diverts from critical trade routes, potentially sparking economic shocks worldwide and reshaping energy markets.
—Julia Frankel, Los Angeles Times, 3 Mar. 2026
Additionally, South Korea's stock market is particularly sensitive to swings in oil prices, meaning geopolitical shocks in the Middle East tend to trigger short-term volatility, said Daniel Yoo, global market strategist at Yuanta Securities.
—Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 3 Mar. 2026
Verb
Historically, Citadel notes, productivity shocks lower marginal costs, expand output, and increase real income, acting as a complement to human labor rather than a strict substitute.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 28 Feb. 2026
The scheme shocks their high-strung son Harold (Roberts), whose wife, Neha (Gill), is a local police officer.
—Max Goldbart, Deadline, 18 Feb. 2026
By contrast, in the United States, employers are not required to offer or contribute to a retirement plan at all – a fact that shocks many workers with pensions.
—Teresa Ghilarducci, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026
That moment is similar to one in the show where another closeted hockey star, Scott Hunter (François Arnaud) shocks the world by kissing his secret boyfriend on center ice after winning a championship.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 27 Jan. 2026
That can change if a patient has an implantable cardioverter defibrillator, or ICD, which shocks the heart back to beating normally.
—Ciara McCarthy, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Jan. 2026
Violence shocks neighbors Neighbors said the violence unfolded in just seconds.
—Andrew Ramos, CBS News, 10 Jan. 2026
Rather than comply, Deborah shocks everyone by telling the audience the truth and loses her show.
—Jenelle Riley, Variety, 6 Jan. 2026
The thing that outrages, the thing that shocks, the thing that elicits the greatest response, and the greatest response of all of those emotional reactions is outrage, is fear, is shock, is anger.
—David Frum, The Atlantic, 31 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shocks
Noun
-
Animals’ risk of becoming roadkill depends on several factors, including how many vehicles are on the road, how many animals are on the road, and how animals and human drivers behave, explains Tom Langen, a professor of biology at Clarkson University, who studies animal-vehicle collisions.—
Jackie Flynn Mogensen,
Scientific American,
7 Mar. 2026
-
The latest data collection from the LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA (LVK) Collaboration reveals the universe is practically humming with gravitational waves from cosmic collisions.—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The five teams scatter to their work stations, bemoaning the 92-degree heat (no one complains about the noisy vroom vroom of the racecar driving around, which surprises me), and get to work.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
3 Mar. 2026
-
The interesting question is by how much, and whether one of them surprises us.—
Patrick Iversen,
New York Times,
3 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Geopolitical scares that faded and allowed oil prices to recede.—
Chris Isidore,
CNN Money,
3 Mar. 2026
-
He’s also been involved in multiple injury scares to star players in the last year.—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
28 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
This could cause jolts in the energy markets.—
Holly Ellyatt,
CNBC,
4 Mar. 2026
-
Literal and figurative pain points included ensuring each piece properly conducting electricity, rigging every square with mechanical keyboard switches to facilitate the connections, and countless unintentional jolts.—
Andrew Paul,
Popular Science,
26 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Eva’s romance with her husband, Franklin Plaskett, delights and amazes her.—
Adelle Waldman,
The Atlantic,
10 Feb. 2026
-
What amazes me is how good human beings can be in a crisis.—
Rachel Handler,
Vulture,
21 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
The piercing sunlight frightens her.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
23 Feb. 2026
-
Like the 1987 Kurt Vonnegut novel from which the restaurant took its name, Bluebeard encourages guests to drop their guard, surround themselves with other people and try something that frightens them a little.—
USA TODAY NETWORK,
USA Today,
11 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The worst commercial nuclear accident in US history was contained and ultimately had only very minor health impacts on the surrounding area.—
Ella Nilsen,
CNN Money,
10 Mar. 2026
-
Ed tech proponents say this argument is too simplistic, and point to other analyses that find mixed or modest positive impacts from digital instruction.—
Tyler Kingkade,
NBC news,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Hyundai stuns with Atlas Hyundai showcased Atlas at CES in Las Vegas last month.—
Chris Young,
Interesting Engineering,
2 Mar. 2026
-
Jimenez created this look using two coats of a bronzy pearl polish accented with subtle green glitter, resulting in a finish that stuns with its simplicity.—
Kara Jillian Brown,
InStyle,
26 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shocks.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shocks. Accessed 12 Mar. 2026.
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