German word

schocken

Pronunciation

IPA/ˈʃɔkən/

Meaning

  • verbshock

Example

Sein Verhalten schockte mich.

His behavior shocked me.

Illustration for schocken (shock)

More examples

Die Nachricht schockte die Familie.

The message shocked the family.

Core concept

A sudden blow to a person's composure leaves the person visibly shaken.

Common phrases

  • durch eine Nachricht schocken

    shock ___ with a message

  • die Familie schocken

    shock the family

Similar words

schockieren: To upset someone so deeply that shock or disgust leaves them speechless.
erschrecken: To cause intense surprise or fear through a sudden event.
überraschen: To cause temporary surprise through something unexpected.
verstören: To disturb someone's inner balance, leaving unease and confusion behind.

Definition in German

bei jemandem eine starke negative Überraschung und innere Erschütterung hervorrufen

Word origin

The verb schocken is formed from the German noun Schock with the productive verb ending -en, while Schock was borrowed from English shock.

Usage tips

  • Schocken takes an accusative object, as in 'Sein Verhalten schockte mich', where mich means 'me' rather than 'to me'.

Opposites

Related words

  • der Schockshocknoun
  • schockierenshockverb
  • schockierendshockingadjective

Word lists with this word