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
Jason D. Greenblatt, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Apr. 2025
The progressive labor juggernaut was the biggest financier of Johnson’s 2023 mayoral bid, with about $5.4 million from CTU and its affiliates pouring into his campaign leading up to the April runoff.
—Gregory Royal Pratt, Chicago Tribune, 31 Mar. 2025
The franchise has established itself as India’s premier superhero property and a consistent box office juggernaut.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 28 Mar. 2025
And, of course, the juggernaut is the defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers.
—Chris Branch, New York Times, 26 Mar. 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 14 Apr. 2025.
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