shock troops

plural noun

1
: troops especially suited and chosen for offensive work because of their high morale, training, and discipline
2
: a group of people militant in pressing for a cause

Examples of shock troops in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
But of course, the sober thinkers and the shock troops feed off each other. — Helen Lewis, The Atlantic, 14 May 2026 Is this the leader of a corps of shock troops reinventing government, or a clumsy effort by a famous businessman? — Chris Stirewalt, The Hill, 25 Apr. 2025 When the past does indeed come knocking on Bob’s door, flushing him out of his home with shock troops and smoke grenades, Bob is forced to violently recalibrate his relationship to the present. — David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 10 Oct. 2025 The reason why there were so many casualties despite a small number of battles is because North Korean soldiers were deployed as frontline shock troops in an unfamiliar open field and lack abilities to respond to drones, Lee said. — Joohee Cho, ABC News, 18 Dec. 2024 Even the first stage of Putin’s invasion of Ukraine - on the pretext of protecting Russian speakers being maltreated - parallels Hitler’s sending shock troops into Czechoslovakia to purportedly safeguard German speakers along the Czech borderlands. — Kevin Holden Platt, Forbes, 18 Dec. 2024 Through the shock troops of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), the president indiscriminately fired federal employees, shut down entire departments created by Congress, and canceled billions of dollars in federal contracts and grants allocated by law. — Noah Feldman, Twin Cities, 24 Dec. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1887, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of shock troops was in 1887

Rhymes for shock troops

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Browse Nearby Words

shock therapy
shock troops
shock tube
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Cite this Entry

“Shock troops.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shock%20troops. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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