to make someone's jaw drop - Glite Dictionary

Examples

Her performance was so incredible that it made my jaw drop.
That magician can make your jaw drop!
The announcement of the surprise guest made everyone's jaw drop during the ceremony.
What did he do to make her jaw drop?
The magician's final trick made the audience's jaw drop in disbelief.
Her unexpected talent for singing made my jaw drop during the performance.
When the artist revealed his latest painting, it made everyone's jaw drop.

Synonyms

to surprise

vsto make someone's jaw drop

∞ 1.0

To cause someone to feel wonder by doing something they do not expect

is a stronger form that produces a dramatic visible stunned reaction

to amaze

vsto make someone's jaw drop

294 1.0

To surprise someone very much

is the same strong wonder but emphasises a sudden external reaction

to shock

vsto make someone's jaw drop

202 2.1

To cause someone to feel sudden surprise and distress

focuses on a dramatic visible reaction rather than distress or disbelief

to blow your mind

vsto make someone's jaw drop

Informal

50 6.2

To surprise someone a lot and make them feel excited

is equally powerful but focuses on a visible shocked response

to astound

vsto make someone's jaw drop

41 4.2

To surprise someone very much and make them feel amazed

is focused more on the visible stunned appearance than inner wonder

to take aback

vsto make someone's jaw drop

39 4.2

To surprise someone so much that they do not know what to say

is like that but highlights a dramatic physical reaction

to take one's breath away

vsto make someone's jaw drop

Informal

33 4.1

Make someone feel very surprised and unable to speak

is similarly striking but highlights a sudden shocked visual reaction

to astonish

vsto make someone's jaw drop

13 3.5

To surprise someone very much

is similar but points more to an outward shocked look

to flabbergast

vsto make someone's jaw drop

8 7.4

To surprise someone very much

is equally shocking but stresses the surprised face or expression

to stagger

vsto make someone's jaw drop

7 3.8

Surprise someone very much

is similar but more about causing an obvious stunned look

to shock the hell out of someone

vsto make someone's jaw drop

Informal

2 8.1

To surprise someone suddenly and very strongly

is similar but leans more toward a stunned physical display

to leave in awe

vsto make someone's jaw drop

1 4.4

To make someone feel very amazed and full of admiration

is comparable but stresses a visibly shocked facial reaction

Antonyms

to disappoint

492 1.0

Fail to do what someone hoped for

to bore

15 1.4

To make someone feel tired or not interested by being dull when you speak

How Astonished

to stun

11 3.0

to make someone's jaw drop

Informal

4.4

to astonish

13 3.5

to surprise

∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

make someone's jaw drop infinitive

made someone's jaw drop past

made someone's jaw drop past participle

making someone's jaw drop present participle

makes someone's jaw drop third person singular

Morphology

make + someone's + jaw + drop

The phrase literally depicts causing a person's jaw to fall, so knowing 'make', 'jaw' and 'drop' yields a clear physical image that maps onto the idea of being astonished. However, the meaning depends on a conventionalized bodily-reaction metaphor (jaw as a signal of surprise) rather than a strictly compositional action, so it is inferable but not fully transparent.

Etymology

Make someone's jaw drop comes from a simple picture: when people are very surprised their lower jaw seems to drop and their mouth opens wide, as if the jaw falls down. So the phrase means 'to astonish' or 'to surprise' someone very much.