Idiom
gobsmacked
Meanings
Extremely surprised or shocked; speechless for a moment.
Definition
Extremely surprised or shocked, often so much that you cannot speak for a moment.
If you are gobsmacked, you feel very surprised or shocked by something unexpected. It often suggests you are momentarily speechless because you cannot believe what you have heard or seen. This word is especially common in British English and is informal.
Examples
- I was gobsmacked when they offered me the job on the spot.
- She looked gobsmacked after hearing the news.
- We were all gobsmacked by the final score.
- He was gobsmacked to discover the tickets were free.
Common mistake
Learners sometimes misspell it as "gobsmakced" or confuse it with "smacked" and use it to mean physically hit instead of shocked.
More at B2 level
- Bob's your uncle Used to say that something will be easy or will happen exactly as expected after a simple step.
- touch base To touch base means to briefly contact someone to share updates, confirm plans, or check progress.
- ballpark figure A ballpark figure is an approximate number or estimate, not an exact one.
- take the mickey To take the mickey means to mock someone or tease them in an unkind or cheeky way.
- cheap as chips Very cheap; costing very little money.