jaw-dropper

as in surprise
something that makes a strong impression because it is so unexpected the underdog's victory was a jaw-dropper in boxing circles

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for jaw-dropper
Noun
  • Even as Paraguay continues to shock CONMEBOL and Africa’s state of qualifying has sprung some surprises, New Zealand, 86th in FIFA’s world ranking, will need to incorporate at least some of the hard-nosed approach that made 2010 a galvanizing moment.
    Jeff Rueter, New York Times, 14 Apr. 2025
  • That result was no surprise, according to Mitchell Elkind, MD, the chief clinical science officer at the American Heart Association.
    Emily Kay Votruba, EverydayHealth.com, 14 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • The biggest shock to anyone standing within that path and having clear weather — which certainly wasn’t everyone on April 8, 2024 — was the sight of the sun's corona, its wispy white outer atmosphere.
    Jamie Carter, Forbes.com, 8 Apr. 2025
  • His dissertation for his Harvard University economics PhD – appropriately for the current moment – was about how South Korea’s economy could weather external shocks.
    Mike Valerio, CNN Money, 8 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • On Monday, as stocks were tumbling, a mysterious, apparently misfired tweet about a 90-day tariff relief plan briefly turned the market around in a wild jolt.
    Allison Morrow, CNN Money, 9 Apr. 2025
  • Lightning strikes may kill untold numbers of trees every year, but one tropical species has evolved to benefit from the sudden jolts of electricity.
    Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 8 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • Houston's suffocating defense wiped away a 14-point deficit over the final eight minutes and erased Cooper Flagg and Duke's title hopes Saturday in a 70-67 stunner over the Blue Devils at the Final Four.
    CBS News, CBS News, 6 Apr. 2025
  • In Act Two, there is a stunner of a video montage, credited to David Bengali, that looks like it was only created last week.
    Chris Jones, New York Daily News, 4 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • But the Bay Area revelation of Playoff Jimmy changes the calculus.
    Marcus Thompson II, New York Times, 14 Apr. 2025
  • To underline this point, the hour closes with the revelation that Abby’s group has finally tracked down its quarry, and are very close to Jackson.
    Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 13 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • The bombshell decision arrives after Lawson's lackluster performance during the first two Grands Prix of the 2025 season.
    Paul Du Quenoy, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Mar. 2025
  • Gabrielle Union’s bombshell style at the NAACP Image Awards is a gorgeous example, as is Tinashe’s slightly sleeker version at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party.
    Sophia Panych, Allure, 27 Mar. 2025
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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“Jaw-dropper.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/jaw-dropper. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.

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