ENGLISH
REFERENCE

concussion

n.
US //kənˈkəʃən// UK //kənkˈʌʃən// con·cus·sion
  1. 1 violent shock (n.)
    C2 Proficiency Archaic Literary

    the act of shaking something very hard or a violent hit between two things.

    the action of shaking or agitating something violently; a sudden and forceful impact or collision.

    Example

    The concussion of the explosion broke every window in the street.

    Example

    The heavy concussion of the falling masonry sent tremors through the foundations of the adjacent buildings.

    Usage

    Usually refers to the physical force or sound wave rather than the injury.
  2. 2 illegal threat (n.)
    C2 Proficiency Archaic Formal Law

    forcing someone to give up money or property by using threats.

    the unlawful forcing of another to yield up something of value through threats of violence or abuse of authority.

    Example

    The official was accused of using concussion to take money from the villagers.

    Example

    In historical legal texts, the term describes the extraction of fees through concussion and the systemic abuse of administrative power.

    Teacher's tip

    In modern legal English, 'extortion' or 'duress' is almost always used instead of this sense.
Origin

From Latin concussiō. Equivalent to concuss + -ion.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Related words

Last updated June 20, 2026