shocking

a sudden or violent disturbance of the mind, emotions, or sensibilities: The burglary was a shock to her sense of security. The book provided a shock, nothing more.

the cause of such a disturbance: The rebuke came as a shock.

Pathology. a collapse of circulatory function, caused by severe injury, blood loss, or disease, and characterized by pallor, sweating, weak pulse, and very low blood pressure. Compare anaphylactic shock, cardiogenic shock, hypovolemic shock.

the physiological effect produced by the passage of an electric current through the body.

shocks, Informal. shock absorbers, especially in the suspension of an automobile.

verb (used with object)

to strike or jar with intense surprise, horror, disgust, etc.: He enjoyed shocking people.

to strike against violently.

10.

to give an electric shock to.

verb (used without object)

11.

to undergo a shock.

Origin:
1555–65; < Middle French choc armed encounter, noun derivative of choquer to clash (in battle) < Germanic; compare Dutch schokken to shake, jolt, jerk

Related forms

shock·a·ble, adjective

shock·a·bil·i·ty, noun

shock·ed·ness, noun

shock·like, adjective

un·shock·a·bil·i·ty, noun

un·shock·a·ble, adjective

Synonyms
8. stagger, astound, stupefy. Shock, startle, paralyze, stun suggest a sudden, sharp surprise that affects one somewhat like a blow. Shock suggests a strong blow, as it were, to one's nerves, sentiments, sense of decency, etc.: The onlookers were shocked by the accident. Startle implies the sharp surprise of sudden fright: to be startled by a loud noise. Paralyze implies such a complete shock as to render one temporarily helpless: paralyzed with fear. Stun implies such a shock as bewilders or stupefies: stunned by the realization of an unpleasant truth.

00:10

Shocking is always a great word to know.

So is gobo. Does it mean:

a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes.

a screen or mat covered with a dark material for shielding a camera lens from excess light or glare.

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noun

a group of sheaves of grain placed on end and supporting one another in the field.

verb (used with object)

to make into shocks.

Origin:
1275–1325; Middle English; cognate with Low German schok shock of grain, group of sixty, German Schock sixty

Related forms

shock·er, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To shocking

Collins

World English Dictionary

shock¹ (ʃɒk)

—vb
1.	to experience or cause to experience extreme horror, disgust, surprise, etc: the atrocities shocked us; she shocks easily
2.	to cause a state of shock in (a person)
3.	to come or cause to come into violent contact; jar

—n
4.	a sudden and violent jarring blow or impact
5.	something that causes a sudden and violent disturbance in the emotions: the shock of her father's death made her ill
6.	pathol a state of bodily collapse or near collapse caused by circulatory failure or sudden lowering of the blood pressure, as from severe bleeding, burns, fright, etc
7.	pathol pain and muscular spasm as the physical reaction to an electric current passing through the body

[C16: from Old French choc, from choquier to make violent contact with, of Germanic origin; related to Middle High German schoc]

'shockable¹

—*adj*

shocka'bility¹

—n

shock² (ʃɒk)

—n
1.	a number of sheaves set on end in a field to dry
2.	a pile or stack of unthreshed corn

—vb
3.	(tr) to set up (sheaves) in shocks

[C14: probably of Germanic origin; compare Middle Low German, Middle Dutch schok shock of corn, group of sixty]

shock³ (ʃɒk)

—n
1.	a thick bushy mass, esp of hair

—*adj*
2.	rare bushy; shaggy

[C19: perhaps from shock²]

shocking (ˈʃɒkɪŋ)

—*adj*
1.	causing shock, horror, or disgust
2.	shocking pink a vivid or garish shade of pink
3.	informal very bad or terrible: shocking weather

'shockingly

—*adv*

'shockingness

—n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Cite This Source

Etymonline

Word Origin & History

shock

"sudden blow," 1565, a military term, from M.Fr. choc "violent attack," from O.Fr. choquer "strike against," probably from Frankish, from a P.Gmc. imitative base (cf. M.Du. schokken "to push, jolt," O.H.G. scoc "jolt, swing"). Meaning "a sudden and disturbing impression on the mind" is from 1705; medical

sense is attested from 1804. The verb, "to come into violent contact" is attested from 1576; meaning "to give (something) an electric shock" is from 1706; sense of "to offend, displease" is first recorded 1694. Shock-absorber is attested from 1906; shock wave is from 1907. Shocking pink introduced Feb. 1937 by It.-born fashion designer Elsa Schiaparelli. Shocker "something that shocks or excites" is from 1824. Shock troops (1917) translates Ger. stoßtruppen and preserves the word's original military sense.

shock

"bundle of grain," early 14c., from M.L.G. schok "shock of corn," originally "group of sixty," from P.Gmc. *skukka- (cf. O.S. skok, Du. schok "sixty pieces," Ger. Hocke "heap of sheaves").

shock

"thick mass of hair," 1819, from earlier shock (adj.) "having thick hair" (1681), and a noun sense of "lap dog having long, shaggy hair" (1638), from shough (1599), the name for this type of dog, which was said to have been brought originally from Iceland; the word is perhaps from

shock (2), or from an O.N. variant of shag.

American Heritage

Medical Dictionary

shock (shŏk)
n.

Something that jars the mind or emotions as if with a violent, unexpected blow.
The disturbance of function, equilibrium, or mental faculties caused by such a blow; violent agitation.
A generally temporary massive physiological reaction to severe physical or emotional trauma, usually characterized by marked loss of blood pressure and depression of vital processes.
The sensation and muscular spasm caused by an electric current passing through the body or a body part.
The abnormally palpable impact of an accentuated heartbeat felt by a hand on the chest wall.

To induce a state of physical shock in a person.
To subject a person to an electric shock.

American Heritage

Science Dictionary

shock

(shŏk) Pronunciation Key

An instance of the passage of an electric current through the body. The amount of injury caused by electric shock depends on the type and strength of the current, the length of time the current is applied, and the route the current takes once it enters the body.
A life-threatening condition marked by a severe drop in blood pressure, resulting from serious injury or illness.

Example sentences

Scandalous in the sense of shocking and morally offensive to some people.

But it is a shocking mistake to claim the iPod is essentially a leveraged

version of off-the-shelf hardware.

After following these volunteers for an average of eight years, the researchers

came to a shocking conclusion.

But for the first time in human history, that is changing-and with shocking

speed.

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Matching Quote

"To me it seems a shocking idea. I despise and loathe myself, and yet you thrust self at me from every corner of the church as though I loved and admired it. All religion does nothing but pursue me with self even into the next world."

-Henry Brooks Adams