SHOCK
What does "SHOCK" mean?
A sudden upsetting or surprising event, or the disturbed feeling it causes.
Meanings
- A sudden, often unpleasant, feeling of surprise or distress. The news of the closure came as a complete shock.
- A sudden violent disturbance, blow, or impact. The shock of the collision crumpled the front of the car.
- A discharge of electricity passing through the body. He got a nasty shock from the frayed cord.
- A dangerous medical condition of collapsing circulation, often after injury or blood loss. The paramedics treated her for shock at the scene. technical
- A thick, bushy mass of hair. He had a wild shock of red hair.
- To cause someone to feel surprised and upset. It shocked her to learn how little he had saved.
Did you know?
- In medicine, 'shock' has nothing to do with being startled: it is life-threatening circulatory failure in which the organs are starved of oxygen-carrying blood - which is why you can be in shock while perfectly calm.
Word origin
From French 'choc' and the verb 'choquer' meaning to strike against, originally a military term for the violent clash of charging forces; the medical and electrical senses developed later.
Remember it
SHOCK starts with the gasp 'SH-!' you make when something jolts you; the hard CK lands like the blow.
A little poem
The phone rang once; she set the kettle down-
the news still ten cold seconds out of town.
couplet
What it teaches
Shock is the gap between the world you assumed and the one that just arrived; mind the size of that gap.
Quick facts
What does SHOCK mean?
A sudden upsetting or surprising event, or the disturbed feeling it causes.
Is SHOCK a valid word?
Yes — SHOCK is one of the answer words in Wordul, the daily word game.
How many letters is SHOCK?
SHOCK has 5 letters and 1 syllable.
Where does SHOCK come from?
From French 'choc' and the verb 'choquer' meaning to strike against, originally a military term for the violent clash of charging forces; the medical and electrical senses developed later.
What can SHOCK teach us?
Shock is the gap between the world you assumed and the one that just arrived; mind the size of that gap.
How players do
Be the first to solve it.