shock

- definition

What are red words?

90% of the time, speakers of English use just 7,500 words in speech and writing. These words appear in red, and are graded with stars. One-star words are frequent, two-star words are more frequent, and three-star words are the most frequent.

Thesaurus

The thesaurus of synonyms and related words is fully integrated into the dictionary entries. Click on the T button in an entry to review the synonyms and related words for that meaning.

noun

/ʃɒk/

singular	shock
plural	shocks

1
[singular/uncountable] the feeling of being very surprised by something bad that happens unexpectedly
Jessica’s face was blank with shock.
News of the murder left us all in shock.
give someone a shock:
It will give him a shock when he sees how much you’ve spent.
get a shock:
My mother got a shock when she saw my new haircut.
Thesaurus entry for this meaning of shock
Collocations: shock
▪ experience, feel, get, have, receive, suffer
2
[countable] [usually singular] something that happens unexpectedly and makes you feel very surprised and upset
The price of housing was quite a shock for us.
come as a shock:
The announcement came as a complete shock to me.
a great/terrible shock:
It was a terrible shock to discover he was already married.
Thesaurus entry for this meaning of shock
1. a.
  [only before noun] British mainly journalism making someone surprised or upset
  shock defeat/win:
  The tournament started yesterday with two shock defeats.
  Thesaurus entry for this meaning of shock
Collocations: shock
▪ big, great, nasty, severe, terrible
3
[uncountable] a medical condition in which you suddenly become very weak and cold and do not react normally, especially after a serious accident or injury
people suffering from shock
in shock:
Natalie was used to working with patients in shock.
Thesaurus entry for this meaning of shock
4
[countable] a sudden flow of electricity that goes through your body that sometimes happens when you touch certain objects
You could get an electric shock if you touch it.
Thesaurus entry for this meaning of shock
5
[singular] hair that is very thick
The man had a shock of white hair.
Thesaurus entry for this meaning of shock
6
[countable] informal a shock absorber
Thesaurus entry for this meaning of shock

phrase

be in for a shock
used for saying someone is going to experience a shock in the future
Thesaurus entry for this meaning of shock

This is the British English definition of shock. View American English definition of shock.

Change your default dictionary and thesaurus to American English.

vocal fry

a speech habit in which a speaker lowers their voice at the end of a sentence

BuzzWord Article

More BuzzWords

BuzzWord archive

Word of the Day

glottal stop

a sound made by stopping air as it passes through your throat. In some varieties of spoken...

Word of the Day

Open Dictionary

conflict mineral

a mineral which is mined in a place where there is armed conflict, and sold to help pay for weapons

add a word

More submissions

view entries

Blog

A must for anyone with an interest in the changing face of language. The Macmillan Dictionary blog explores English as it is spoken around the world today.

global English and language change from our blog

Did you know?