alarm vs shock

alarm

verb
  • To surprise with apprehension of danger; to fill with anxiety in regard to threatening evil; to excite with sudden fear. 

  • To give (someone) notice of approaching danger 

  • To rouse to vigilance and action; to put on the alert. 

  • To call to arms for defense 

  • To keep in excitement; to disturb. 

noun
  • An instance of an alarm ringing, beeping or clanging, to give a noise signal at a certain time. 

  • A mechanical device for awaking people, or rousing their attention. 

  • A sudden attack; disturbance. 

  • Any sound or information intended to give notice of approaching danger; a warning sound to arouse attention; a warning of danger. 

  • A summons to arms, as on the approach of an enemy. 

  • Sudden surprise with fear or terror excited by apprehension of danger; in the military use, commonly, sudden apprehension of being attacked by surprise. 

shock

verb
  • To cause to be emotionally shocked; to cause (someone) to feel surprised and upset. 

  • To give an electric shock to. 

  • To subject to a shock wave or violent impact. 

  • To add a chemical to (a swimming pool) to moderate the chlorine levels. 

  • To collect, or make up, into a shock or shocks; to stook. 

adj
  • Causing intense surprise, horror, etc.; unexpected and shocking. 

noun
  • A state of distress following a mental or emotional disturbance. 

  • Electric shock, a sudden burst of electrical energy hitting a person or animal. 

  • Circulatory shock, a medical emergency characterized by the inability of the circulatory system to supply enough oxygen to meet tissue requirements. 

  • A shock absorber (typically in the suspension of a vehicle). 

  • A chemical added to a swimming pool to moderate the chlorine levels. 

  • An arrangement of sheaves for drying; a stook. 

  • A sudden or violent mental or emotional disturbance. 

  • A sudden, heavy impact. 

  • A tuft or bunch of something, such as hair or grass. 

  • Something so surprising that it is stunning. 

  • A discontinuity arising in the solution of a partial differential equation. 

  • A shock wave. 

How often have the words alarm and shock occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )