juggernaut

noun

jug·ger·naut ˈjə-gər-ˌnȯt

-ˌnät

Synonyms of juggernaut next

: a massive inexorable force, campaign, movement, or object that crushes whatever is in its path

an advertising juggernaut

a political juggernaut

chiefly British : a large heavy truck

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The History of Juggernaut

In the early 14th century, Franciscan missionary Friar Odoric brought to Europe the story of an enormous carriage that carried an image of the Hindu god Vishnu (whose title was Jagannath, literally, "lord of the world") through the streets of India in religious processions. Odoric reported that some worshippers deliberately allowed themselves to be crushed beneath the vehicle's wheels as a sacrifice to Vishnu. That story was likely an exaggeration or misinterpretation of actual events, but it spread throughout Europe. The tale caught the imagination of English listeners, and they began using juggernaut to refer to any massive vehicle (such as a steam locomotive) and to any other enormous entity with powerful crushing capabilities.

Examples of juggernaut in a Sentence

there was no escaping the juggernaut of hype for the studio's biggest summer blockbuster

Recent Examples on the Web The John Wick franchise, which now includes four films and a streaming series spinoff, has proven to be a financial juggernaut and a critical darling. —

Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 24 Oct. 2024 Catch up quick: Henry has been a juggernaut for the Ravens. —

Nate Rau, Axios, 16 Oct. 2024 The bumper takeover proposal was part of an effort to create a copper mining juggernaut and to capitalize on the base metal’s critical role in the green energy transition. —

Lee Ying Shan,matt Clinch, CNBC, 9 Oct. 2024 Weather impacted last week’s outing, but Bo Nix and company weren’t exactly a juggernaut before that. —

Sarah Kelly, The Denver Post, 6 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for juggernaut

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