How to Use a shock to the/someone's system in a Sentence

a shock to the/someone's system

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Definition of a shock to the/someone's systemnext
  • For the Celtics, Green’s approach appeared to be a shock to the system.
    — Adam Himmelsbach, BostonGlobe.com, 7 June 2022
  • Does the schedule feel like a shock to the system compared to your off-days?
    — Talib Visram, Men's Health, 30 Jan. 2023
  • Needless to say, the bone-chilling weather was a shock to the system.
    — Chioma Nnadi, Vogue, 7 Sep. 2022
  • After years of straining the same muscles in the same show every day, the new tasks were a shock to the system.
    — Meg Bernhard, The New Yorker, 5 Feb. 2022
  • But when Netflix lost 1.3 million subscribers, that was a shock to the system.
    — Vulture, 2 May 2023
  • To say that she’s been a splash of cold water would suggest that her votes have been out of character, a shock to the system.
    — Robin Givhan, Washington Post, 16 Aug. 2022
  • Still, this was a shock to the system that reverberates in a state that follows the Huskies’ every trend.
    — Dom Amore, courant.com, 22 Nov. 2021
  • The Black Panther star's death on Friday after a silent four-year battle with colon cancer is still a shock to the system.
    — Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 31 Aug. 2020
  • None of them limited their output to hoodies and tees, yet all the appointments were framed first as a shock to the system, then as a trend.
    — New York Times, 10 Feb. 2022
  • And in Chelsea’s case at least, the latest expensive summer didn’t exactly come as a shock to the system.
    — Joshua Robinson, WSJ, 2 Sep. 2022
  • The return to office has been a shock to the system for employees everywhere.
    — Washington Post, 9 May 2022
  • After more than a year of masks and social distancing, the idea of overnight returning to mostly normal was a shock to the system.
    — Andrea Gawrylewski, Scientific American, 16 June 2021
  • Alabamians will be waking up to temperatures from the low 30s to the 50s this morning, which could be quite a shock to the system after the past few balmy days.
    — Leigh Morgan, al, 7 Dec. 2021
  • With streaming transforming into something new, consumers are in for a shock to the system.
    — Frank Pallotta, CNN, 11 Aug. 2022
  • After more than two years of soft pants, Zoom meetings, and virtual one-on-ones, returning to the office may be somewhat of a shock to the system.
    — Kells McPhillips, Fortune, 12 Sep. 2022
  • Even as the mid-summer temperatures reach into the 90s, the water in the Willamette or Columbia rivers doesn’t quite reach 70 degrees, and that can be a shock to the system, Whalen said.
    — oregonlive, 21 July 2021
  • The challenge is that baseball is a very traditional sport that's been around for more than century, so any change — even a slight one — can be a shock to the system for fans.
    — Frank Pallotta, CNN, 23 Sep. 2022
  • Some describe the actors and writers strikes as a shock to the system that highlighted the value of building savings in a volatile industry.
    — Katie Kilkenny, The Hollywood Reporter, 22 Feb. 2024
  • While this week's cold may seem like a shock to the system, due to warming global temperatures the first frost and freeze of the season is happening later through time.
    — NBC News, 4 Nov. 2021
  • So entering Sofia, with its clogged streets and faded Socialist-era apartment buildings, was a shock to the system.
    — Sarah Souli, Travel + Leisure, 18 June 2022
  • Although speculation about the cuts had swirled for months, the layoffs were nonetheless a shock to the system for some employees.
    — Morwenna Coniam, Fortune, 23 Jan. 2023
  • But the environment at Texas Tech may be a bit too much of a shock to the system after starting the season in such a friendly environment.
    — USA TODAY, 23 Sep. 2022
  • For those of us taught the economics of the last 50 years, which focuses on short-term shareholder-value maximization, a new twist has been a shock to the system.
    — Sarah Keohane Williamson, Fortune, 1 Feb. 2022
  • Landing Disney is a shock to the system and a consistent reminder to continue to dream bigger and bigger.
    — Griselda Flores, Billboard, 28 Mar. 2022
  • Udoka acknowledged that after a first-round sweep of a Nets team built on finesse rather than tenacity, the Bucks’ tenacious approach was a shock to the system in Game 1.
    — Adam Himmelsbach, BostonGlobe.com, 4 May 2022
  • But the presence of Zappe out there delivered a shock to the system, and left the Chicago defense momentarily reeling.
    — Christopher Price, BostonGlobe.com, 25 Oct. 2022
  • The pandemic proved a shock to the system for many federal agencies and ignited process improvements overnight.
    — Roslyn Layton, Forbes, 12 Feb. 2023
  • Hosting Memphis on Wednesday night after a light non-conference schedule could be a shock to the system for the young Tulane men’s basketball team.
    — G Smith, NOLA.com, 15 Dec. 2020
  • Editor’s picks Joining Fleetwood Mac at 26 would have been a shock to the system of most singers, but Bramlett had been living in close proximity to rock stars her entire life.
    — Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 9 Mar. 2023
  • The omicron variant was a shock to the system and its speed broadsided just about everyone, airlines included, experts said.
    — Kenneth R. Gosselin, courant.com, 5 Jan. 2022

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'a shock to the/someone's system.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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