Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun Dismay stemming from the discovery that the price or value of a service or good is higher than expected.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun idiomatic Disgust, shock, or fright upon learning the price of an item offered for sale.

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Coined circa 1981.

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Examples

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Comments

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  • "Record-high energy, corn and wheat prices in the past year have led to sticker shock in the grocery aisles. At $1.32, the average price of a loaf of bread has increased 32 percent since January 2005."

    - 'Food Price Inflation Changes How We Shop', Alan Scher Zagier in Chicago Tribune, 31 March 2008.

    April 6, 2008

  • need a definition for this: "surprise at finding out something is more expensive than anticipated"

    May 17, 2010