From Middle Dutch schokken (“to push, jolt, shake, jerk”) or Middle French choquer (“to collide with, clash”), from Old Dutch *skokkan (“to shake up and down, shog”), from Proto-Germanic *skukkaną (“to move, shake, tremble”). Of uncertain origin. Perhaps related to Proto-Germanic *skakaną (“to shake, stir”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kek-, *(s)keg- (“to shake, stir”); see shake.
Cognate with Middle Low German schocken (“collide with, deliver a blow to, move back and forth”), Old High German scoc (“a jolt, swing”), Middle High German schocken (“to swing”) (German schaukeln), Old Norse skykkr (“vibration, surging motion”), Icelandic skykkjun (“tremulously”), Middle English schiggen (“to shake”). Doublet of shog.
Meanings
(not-comparable) Causing intense surprise, horror, etc.; unexpected and shocking.
From Middle Dutch schokken (“to push, jolt, shake, jerk”) or Middle French choquer (“to collide with, clash”), from Old Dutch *skokkan (“to shake up and down, shog”), from Proto-Germanic *skukkaną (“to move, shake, tremble”). Of uncertain origin. Perhaps related to Proto-Germanic *skakaną (“to shake, stir”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kek-, *(s)keg- (“to shake, stir”); see shake.
Cognate with Middle Low German schocken (“collide with, deliver a blow to, move back and forth”), Old High German scoc (“a jolt, swing”), Middle High German schocken (“to swing”) (German schaukeln), Old Norse skykkr (“vibration, surging motion”), Icelandic skykkjun (“tremulously”), Middle English schiggen (“to shake”). Doublet of shog.
Meanings
(countable) A sudden, heavy impact.
The train hit the buffers with a great shock.
(countable, figuratively) A sudden, heavy impact. ▸ Something so surprising that it is stunning.
My mother's news was a shock I still haven't recovered from.
(countable) A sudden, heavy impact. ▸ A sudden or violent emotional disturbance.
A tremendous shock arises when a secret is discovered. 2005, Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, David Kessler, On Grief and Grieving, →ISBN, page 85:
Carl had a shock at what he found.
(countable) A sudden, heavy impact. ▸ An experience that leaves someone shaken; a very surprising, exhilarating or amazing experience.
The surprising blast of cold water on my face was a tremendous shock.
(countable) A sudden, heavy impact. ▸ Electric shock, a sudden burst of electrical energy hitting a person or animal.
But as was the case with pacemakers, external defibrillators were unwieldy, and the shocks they delivered—in the rare cases when patients were still conscious—were painful. 2018, Sandeep Jauhar, Heart: a History, →ISBN, page 173:
We gave him a couple shocks, but the patient passed away anywway.
(countable) A sudden, heavy impact. ▸ The stimulation of nerves and convulsive contraction of muscles caused by electrical current flowing through a body.
(uncountable) A sudden, heavy impact. ▸ A state of distress following a mental or emotional disturbance, often caused by news or other stimuli.
". . . Maureen, I don't feel sad. I don't feel anything. What's wrong with me?"
"Nothing, Cae," she said. "You just haven't been able to take it in yet. Absorb the shock of it." 2008, Wally Lamb, The Hour I First Believed, Ch.5, at p.112
Fans were in shock in the days following the singer's death.
The shock she felt kept her in a daze the rest of the day.
(uncountable) A sudden, heavy impact. ▸ Circulatory shock, a medical emergency characterized by the inability of the circulatory system to supply enough oxygen to meet tissue requirements.
Call an ambulance, he's in shock!
(countable) A sudden, heavy impact. ▸ A shock wave.
Several reflected shocks enter the bomb core in rapid succession, each helping to compress it to its maximum density.
(countable, plural, uncountable, usually) A shock absorber (typically in the suspension of a vehicle).
If your truck's been riding rough, it might need new shocks.
At the rear, you'll find a single, centrally mounted shock, the now-familiar single-sided swingarm and BMW's Paralever shaft-drive system, which does away with most of a shafty's chassis-jacking bugaboos. 1994, Cycle World Magazine, volume 33, number 1, page 49:
We're bonin' on the dark blocks / Wearin' out the shocks, wettin' up the dashboard clock 1993, “Back Seat (of My Jeep)”, in 14 Shots to the Dome, performed by LL Cool J:
(countable, uncountable) A discontinuity arising in the solution of a partial differential equation.
(uncountable) A chemical added to a swimming pool to moderate the chlorine levels.
The warehouse that caught fire contained 99% trichloroisocyanuric acid (TCCA) – used to make chlorinated tablets to control bacteria and algae – and 99% dichloroisocyanuric acid (DCCA), which is used to make swimming pool shock – a treatment used to help break down contaminants. 2024 November 24, Chris Boyette, “Investigators release update on BioLab chemical plant fire probe”, in CNN:
hu döbbenet (something surprising) · la impulsus (sudden, heavy impact) · es sobresalto (a sudden mental or emotional disturbance) · cmn 衝擊 /冲击 (something surprising) · cmn 震驚 /震惊 (something surprising) · cmn 觸電 /触电 (electric shock) · cmn 震撼 (something surprising) · sv elchock (electric shock) · it choc (life-threatening medical emergency) · tr şok (sudden, heavy impact) · it trauma emotivo (a sudden mental or emotional disturbance) · cs šok (life-threatening medical emergency) · el κλονισμός (sudden, heavy impact) · ar صَعْقَة (electric shock) · fi tuppo (tuft or bunch) · pt choque (sudden, heavy impact) · da chok (something surprising) · bg то́ков у́дар (electric shock) · it shock (life-threatening medical emergency) · hu sokk (life-threatening medical emergency) · es anonadamiento (a sudden mental or emotional disturbance) · es jalonazo (electric shock) · nb sjokk (life-threatening medical emergency) · nl schok (electric shock) · es pasmo (a sudden mental or emotional disturbance) · eo ŝoko (electric shock) · cs šok (sudden, heavy impact) · pt choque emocional (a sudden mental or emotional disturbance) · hu áramütés (electric shock) · vi choáng (life-threatening medical emergency) · nl shock (life-threatening medical emergency) · de Schock (something surprising) · el θημωνιά (tuft or bunch) · pt choque (life-threatening medical emergency) · la commotus (life-threatening medical emergency) · nn sjokk (life-threatening medical emergency) · ca xoc (sudden, heavy impact) · ca xoc (something surprising) · cmn 休克 (life-threatening medical emergency) · ru уда́р (something surprising) · fr choc (a sudden mental or emotional disturbance) · id kejutan (sudden, heavy impact) · mi whētuki (a sudden mental or emotional disturbance) · vi choáng (sudden, heavy impact) · fi šokki (life-threatening medical emergency) · ru электрошок (electric shock) · sv chock (something surprising) · sv elstöt (electric shock) · ru потрясе́ние (something surprising) · bn সদমা (sudden, heavy impact) · it trauma (a sudden mental or emotional disturbance) · uk потрясі́ння (something surprising) · de Schlag (electric shock) · cmn 電休克 /电休克 (electric shock) · cmn 衝擊 /冲击 (sudden, heavy impact) · id syok (sudden, heavy impact) · uk уда́р (sudden, heavy impact) · ko 쇼크 (something surprising) · ja ショック (something surprising) · pl wstrząs (sudden, heavy impact) · sv skräll (sudden, heavy impact) · vi choáng (something surprising) · bg шок (life-threatening medical emergency) · sv chock (sudden, heavy impact) · hi झटका (sudden, heavy impact) · fi tukko (tuft or bunch) · fi shokki (life-threatening medical emergency) · be уда́р (sudden, heavy impact) · es anonadación (a sudden mental or emotional disturbance) · be узрушэ́нне (something surprising) · id syok (life-threatening medical emergency) · id kejutan (something surprising) · fi isku (sudden, heavy impact) · mi rutunga (sudden, heavy impact) · fi jymy-yllätys (something surprising) · mi ohorere (something surprising) · ga suaitheadh (something surprising) · ru шок (life-threatening medical emergency) · nb sjokk (something surprising) · fr choc (something surprising) · pt choque (something surprising) · es choque (life-threatening medical emergency) · fr choc émotionnel (a sudden mental or emotional disturbance) · pl porażenie (electric shock) · ko 쇼크 (sudden, heavy impact) · mi whētuki (something surprising) · cs náraz (sudden, heavy impact) · vi sốc (something surprising) · el κραδασμός (sudden, heavy impact) · uk потрясі́ння (a sudden mental or emotional disturbance) · es shock (life-threatening medical emergency) · be шок (something surprising) · mfe sok (something surprising) · bg сблъ́скване (sudden, heavy impact) · es pasmo (something surprising) · bg шок (something surprising) · pt choque (a sudden mental or emotional disturbance) · es choque (sudden, heavy impact) · ja 衝撃 (sudden, heavy impact) · tr şok (life-threatening medical emergency) · id renjatan (life-threatening medical emergency) · pl szok (something surprising) · mi ohomauri (something surprising) · ar صَدْمَة (sudden, heavy impact) · pt choque (electric shock) · uk шок (a sudden mental or emotional disturbance) · ru уда́р (sudden, heavy impact) · da chok (life-threatening medical emergency) · ru шок (electric shock) · pl wstrząs (life-threatening medical emergency) · fr choc (life-threatening medical emergency) · uk звору́шення (something surprising) · sv överraskning (something surprising) · vi ngạc nhiên (sudden, heavy impact) · nl schok (sudden, heavy impact) · it scossa (electric shock) · vi bất ngờ (sudden, heavy impact) · sv stöt (electric shock) · el ηλεκτροπληξία (electric shock) · ga suaitheadh intinne (a sudden mental or emotional disturbance) · mba nakalitan (sudden, heavy impact) · kk есеңгіреу (life-threatening medical emergency) · nb sjokk (something surprising) · fi sähköshokki (electric shock) · uk шок (life-threatening medical emergency) · ja ショック (sudden, heavy impact) · es shock (a sudden mental or emotional disturbance) · fi shokki (something surprising) · bg у́дар (sudden, heavy impact) · ko 충격 (something surprising) · ko 충격 (sudden, heavy impact) · uk шок (something surprising) · sv chock (electric shock) · tr şok (something surprising) · eo ŝoko (a sudden mental or emotional disturbance) · ar صَدْمَة (something surprising) · nl shock (sudden, heavy impact) · vi choáng (electric shock) · ru шок (something surprising) · ga suasán (tuft or bunch) · nl pluk (tuft or bunch) · fi sähköisku (electric shock) · fr choc (sudden, heavy impact) · fi jytky (sudden, heavy impact)
From Middle Dutch schokken (“to push, jolt, shake, jerk”) or Middle French choquer (“to collide with, clash”), from Old Dutch *skokkan (“to shake up and down, shog”), from Proto-Germanic *skukkaną (“to move, shake, tremble”). Of uncertain origin. Perhaps related to Proto-Germanic *skakaną (“to shake, stir”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kek-, *(s)keg- (“to shake, stir”); see shake.
Cognate with Middle Low German schocken (“collide with, deliver a blow to, move back and forth”), Old High German scoc (“a jolt, swing”), Middle High German schocken (“to swing”) (German schaukeln), Old Norse skykkr (“vibration, surging motion”), Icelandic skykkjun (“tremulously”), Middle English schiggen (“to shake”). Doublet of shog.
Meanings
(transitive) To cause to be emotionally shocked; to cause (someone) to feel greatly surprised or upset.
The disaster shocked the world.
(transitive) To strike with disgust, to offend, scandalize.
(transitive) To give an electric shock to.
(transitive) To subject to a shock wave or violent impact.
Ammonium nitrate can detonate if severely shocked.
(intransitive, obsolete) To meet with a shock; to collide in a violent encounter.
They saw the moment approach when the two parties would shock together. 1832, Thomas De Quincey, Klosterheim Or, the Masque:
(transitive) To cook something very briefly in a hot liquid, then immediately submerge it in ice water to stop the cooking process.
Can you shock the spinach over there?
(transitive) To add a chemical to (a swimming pool) to moderate the chlorine levels.
(transitive) To deform the crystal structure of a stone by the application of extremely high pressure at moderate temperature, as produced only by hypervelocity impact events, lightning strikes, and nuclear explosions.
It takes more than two gigapascals (two billion pascals) of pressure to shock quartz in this manner (for comparison, the atmosphere at sea level exerts a little over 100,000 pascals of pressure). 2018, Tim Flannery, Europe: A Natural History, page 44:
ru потряса́ть (to cause to be emotionally shocked) · mi whakawhētuki (to cause to be emotionally shocked) · ru шоки́ровать (to cause to be emotionally shocked) · es shockear (to cause to be emotionally shocked) · vi gây choáng (to give an electric shock) · hu megráz (to cause to be emotionally shocked) · it turbare (to cause to be emotionally shocked) · hu megdöbbent (to cause to be emotionally shocked) · es conmocionar (to cause to be emotionally shocked) · de schockieren (to cause to be emotionally shocked) · he זִעְזֵעַ (to cause to be emotionally shocked) · pl zaszokować (to cause to be emotionally shocked) · bg удря ток (to give an electric shock) · pt chocar (to cause to be emotionally shocked) · vi gây choáng (to cause to be emotionally shocked) · mi whakaohorere (to cause to be emotionally shocked) · mi whakaohomauri (to cause to be emotionally shocked) · el συγκλονίζω (to cause to be emotionally shocked) · hu megráz (to give an electric shock) · es pasmar (to cause to be emotionally shocked) · fi järkyttää (to cause to be emotionally shocked) · fi antaa sähköshokki (to give an electric shock) · yi שאָקירן (to cause to be emotionally shocked) · de einen Stromstoß versetzen (to give an electric shock) · es sobrecoger (to cause to be emotionally shocked) · es anonadar (to cause to be emotionally shocked) · la consternō (to cause to be emotionally shocked) · hu sokkol (to cause to be emotionally shocked) · es choquear (to cause to be emotionally shocked) · da chokere (to cause to be emotionally shocked) · pl szokować (to cause to be emotionally shocked) · hu sokkol (to give an electric shock) · pt dar um choque (to give an electric shock) · eo ŝoki (to cause to be emotionally shocked) · la stupefaciō (to cause to be emotionally shocked) · fi shokeerata (to cause to be emotionally shocked) · az şoka salmaq (to cause to be emotionally shocked) · io shokar (to cause to be emotionally shocked) · es pasarle corriente/electricidad (to give an electric shock) · bg шокирам (to cause to be emotionally shocked) · ar صَعَقَ (to give an electric shock) · ca xocar (to cause to be emotionally shocked) · mi whakaanuanu (to cause to be emotionally shocked) · fr choquer (to cause to be emotionally shocked)
Inherited from Middle English schok, from Old English *sċoc or Middle Low German schok; in any case, from Proto-West Germanic *skok and possibly related to Latvian kàudze and Lithuanian kiūgis.
Meanings
An arrangement of sheaves for drying; a stook.
Behind the Master walks, builds up the Shocks. a. 1749 (date written), James Thomson, “Autumn”, in The Seasons, London: […] A[ndrew] Millar, and sold by Thomas Cadell, […], published 1768, →OCLC:
Cause it on shocks to be by and by set. 1557, Thomas Tusser, Five Hundred Points of Good Husbandry:
(dated) A lot consisting of sixty pieces; a term applied in some Baltic ports to loose goods.
(broadly) A tuft or bunch of something, such as hair or grass.
On day three I pointed at the edge of an intricate pentagram peeking above her shock of oily black hair. 2019, Hal Y. Zhang, Hard Mother, Spider Mother, Soft Mother, Brooklyn, NY: Radix Media, →ISBN, page 2:
Every now and then I’m startled at how good-looking John is, but he glared at me from under the shock of hair that fell across his brow and scared me a little. 1968 October 12, Paul Zindel, chapter 12, in The Pigman:
His head boasted a shock of sandy hair.
(obsolete) A small dog with long shaggy hair, especially a poodle or spitz; a shaggy lapdog.
When I read of witty persons, I could not figure them but like the little shock. (translating the German Spitz) 1827, Thomas Carlyle, The Fair-Haired Eckbert:
Inherited from Middle English schok, from Old English *sċoc or Middle Low German schok; in any case, from Proto-West Germanic *skok and possibly related to Latvian kàudze and Lithuanian kiūgis.
Meanings
(transitive) To collect, or make up, into a shock or shocks; to stook.