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

a shock to the/someone's system

idiom
  • 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
  • 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
  • Although a default at Country Garden would not be as big a shock to the system as Evergrande’s collapse in 2021, the timing is worse because the economy is so much weaker.
    Meaghan Tobin, Washington Post, 18 Aug. 2023

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.

Last Updated: