1. the feeling of distress and disbelief that you have when something bad happens accidentally;
"his mother's deathleft him in a daze"
"he was numb with shock"
2. the violent interaction of individuals or groups entering into combat;
"the armies met in the shock of battle"
3. a reflex response to the passage of electric current through the body;
"subjects received a small electric shock when they mae the wrong response"
"electricians get accustomed to occasional shocks"
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"
6. an unpleasant or disappointing surprise;
"it came as a shock to learn that he was injured"
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 sheeves and several sheeves 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 mechanical damper; absorbs energy of sudden impulses;