Shock - Definition

n 1: the feeling of distress and disbelief that you have when
something bad happens accidentally; "his mother's death
left him in a daze"; "he was numb with shock" [syn: daze,
shock, stupor]
2: the violent interaction of individuals or groups entering
into combat; "the armies met in the shock of battle" [syn:
shock, impact]
3: a reflex response to the passage of electric current through
the body; "subjects received a small electric shock when they
made the wrong response"; "electricians get accustomed to
occasional shocks" [syn: electric shock, electrical
shock, shock]
4: (pathology) bodily collapse or near collapse caused by
inadequate oxygen delivery to the cells; characterized by
reduced cardiac output and rapid heartbeat and circulatory
insufficiency and pallor; "loss of blood is an important
cause of shock"
5: an instance of agitation of the earth's crust; "the first
shock of the earthquake came shortly after noon while workers
were at lunch" [syn: shock, seismic disturbance]
6: an unpleasant or disappointing surprise; "it came as a shock
to learn that he was injured" [syn: shock, blow]
7: a pile of sheaves of grain set on end in a field to dry;
stalks of Indian corn set up in a field; "corn is bound in
small sheaves and several sheaves are set up together in
shocks"; "whole fields of wheat in shock"
8: a bushy thick mass (especially hair); "he had an unruly shock
of black hair"
9: a sudden jarring impact; "the door closed with a jolt"; "all
the jars and jolts were smoothed out by the shock absorbers"
[syn: jolt, jar, jounce, shock]
10: a mechanical damper; absorbs energy of sudden impulses; "the
old car needed a new set of shocks" [syn: shock absorber,
shock, cushion]
v 1: surprise greatly; knock someone's socks off; "I was floored
when I heard that I was promoted" [syn: shock, floor,
ball over, blow out of the water, take aback]
2: strike with disgust or revulsion; "The scandalous behavior of
this married woman shocked her friends" [syn: shock,
offend, scandalize, scandalise, appal, appall,
outrage]
3: strike with horror or terror; "The news of the bombing
shocked her"
4: collide violently
5: collect or gather into shocks; "shock grain"
6: subject to electrical shocks
7: inflict a trauma upon [syn: traumatize, traumatise,
shock]