jostle
to bump, push, shove, brush against, or elbow roughly or rudely.
to drive or force by, or as if by, pushing or shoving: The crowd jostled him into the subway.
to exist in close contact or proximity with: The three families jostle each other in the small house.
to contend with: rival gangs continually jostling each other.
to unsettle; disturb: The thought jostled her complacency.
Slang. to pick the pocket of.
to bump or brush against someone or something, as in passing or in a crowd; push or shove (often followed by with, for, or against): He jostled for position.
to exist in close contact or proximity with someone or something.
to compete; contend.
Slang. to pick pockets.
a shock, push, bump, or brush against someone or something.
Origin of jostle
1- Sometimes jus·tle [juhs-uhl] /ˈdʒʌs əl/ .
Other words from jostle
- jos·tle·ment, noun
- jostler, noun
- un·jos·tled, adjective
Words Nearby jostle
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use jostle in a sentence
A hijacker who wears an explosive belt that goes off with the slightest jostle, or protesters who chain themselves to the tracks in front of a train carrying fuel to a nuclear plant, cannot be scared away from their mission.
It’s Not Irrational to Party Like It’s 1999 - Issue 108: Change | Steven Pinker | November 17, 2021 | NautilusThe cops gingerly transported King to a hospital, rightly guessing that the slightest jostle could have proved fatal.
VMAs Red Carpet in Brooklyn Wouldn’t Have Been Possible Without NYPD | Michael Daly | August 27, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTMerchandise meetings and legal jargon jostle uncomfortably with superheroics, pajama parties with saving the world.
Wonder Woman: A Sneak Peek at David E. Kelley's Script | Jace Lacob | February 2, 2011 | THE DAILY BEASTOutside of the U.S. embassy, thousands of Americans and Haitians jostle daily for a ticket off the island.
The two chief bears rush at the Master and the other bears jostle round them, egging them on.
In short, he may gratify his every whim and fancy, without a pang of reposing conscience, or the least jostle of his self-respect.
The Pocket R.L.S. | Robert Louis StevensonThe people crowd, the groundlings jostle, men of quality press forward to the platform.
The Memoirs of Count Carlo Gozzi; Volume the first | Count Carlo GozziIn Oxford and Cambridge town and University are mixed together; shops jostle and elbow colleges in the streets.
Hyacinth | George A. BirminghamThe count also had dealings with the silversmith; for in the quartier Juif all classes meet and jostle each other.
British Dictionary definitions for jostle
/ (ˈdʒɒsəl) /
to bump or push (someone) roughly
to come or bring into contact
to force (one's way) by pushing
the act of jostling
a rough bump or push
Origin of jostle
1Derived forms of jostle
- jostlement, noun
- jostler, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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