juggernaut
noun
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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 Jagannāth, 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. While the word is still used sometimes in British English to refer to a very large, heavy truck (also called a "juggernaut lorry"), juggernaut is more commonly used figuratively for a relentless force, entity, campaign, or movement, as in "a political/economic/cultural juggernaut."
Examples of juggernaut in a Sentence
Dave Skretta, Chicago Tribune, 11 Mar. 2025
Colorado isn’t an offensive juggernaut either, but the Buffaloes do have a go-to scorer in Julian Hammond.
—Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 10 Mar. 2025
The Wolverines are ranked No. 2 in 7A, but the heavy favorite is juggernaut Columbus (25-3), which has won the past three large-class state titles with the Boozer boys, Cameron and Cayden, leading the way.
—Buddy Collings, Orlando Sentinel, 5 Mar. 2025
Tax software juggernaut Intuit is on Wall Street’s radar after the company issued a strong quarterly report – and the stock happens to be a dividend payer.
—Darla Mercado, Cfp®, CNBC, 26 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for juggernaut
Cite this Entry
“Juggernaut.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/juggernaut. Accessed 24 Mar. 2025.
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