sticker shock
noun
: astonishment and dismay experienced on being informed of a product's unexpectedly high price
Examples of sticker shock in a Sentence
We left the store suffering severe sticker shock.
Recent Examples on the Web
But that means prices are going up less quickly rather than returning to pre-pandemic levels, and the cumulative sticker shock over the last few years still weighs on sentiment.
—
Jason Ma, Fortune, 19 May 2024
World Cup’s 2026 games in Miami Gardens are bringing some early sticker shock to Miami-Dade’s County Hall over the $46 million in expenses that organizers want taxpayers to fund.
—Douglas Hanks, Miami Herald, 14 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for sticker shock 
Jason Ma, Fortune, 19 May 2024
World Cup’s 2026 games in Miami Gardens are bringing some early sticker shock to Miami-Dade’s County Hall over the $46 million in expenses that organizers want taxpayers to fund.
—Douglas Hanks, Miami Herald, 14 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for sticker shock
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'sticker shock.' 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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Cite this Entry
“Sticker shock.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sticker%20shock. Accessed 30 May. 2024.
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