jar
1 Americannoun
-
a broad-mouthed container, usually cylindrical and of glass or earthenware.
a cookie jar.
-
the quantity such a container can or does hold.
verb (used without object)
-
jars,
present (3rd person singular)
-
jarred,
past participle, past
-
jarring
present participle
-
to have a harshly unpleasant or perturbing effect on one's nerves, feelings, thoughts, etc..
The sound of the alarm jarred.
-
to produce a harsh, grating sound; sound discordantly.
-
to vibrate audibly; rattle.
The window jarred in the frame.
-
to vibrate or shake.
-
to conflict, clash, or disagree.
verb (used with object)
-
jars,
present (3rd person singular)
-
jarred,
past participle, past
-
jarring
present participle
-
to cause to rattle or shake.
-
to have a sudden and unpleasant effect upon (the feelings, nerves, etc.).
The burglary violently jarred their sense of security.
-
to cause to sound harshly or discordantly.
noun
-
a jolt or shake; a vibrating movement, as from concussion.
-
a sudden unpleasant effect upon the mind or feelings; shock.
-
a harsh, grating sound.
-
a discordant sound or combination of sounds.
-
a quarrel or disagreement, especially a minor one.
noun
idioms
verb
-
to vibrate or cause to vibrate
-
to make or cause to make a harsh discordant sound
-
(often foll by on) to have a disturbing or painful effect (on the nerves, mind, etc)
-
(intr) to disagree; clash
noun
-
a jolt or shock
-
a harsh discordant sound
noun
-
a wide-mouthed container that is usually cylindrical, made of glass or earthenware, and without handles
-
Also: jarful. the contents or quantity contained in a jar
-
informal a glass of alcoholic drink, esp beer
to have a jar with someone
-
obsolete a measure of electrical capacitance
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
jarsimple
-
jarssimple
-
have jarredperfect
-
has jarredperfect
-
am jarringprogressive
-
are jarringprogressive
-
is jarringprogressive
-
have been jarringperfect progressive
-
has been jarringperfect progressive
Past
-
jarredsimple
-
had jarredperfect
-
was jarringprogressive
-
were jarringprogressive
-
had been jarringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of jar1
First recorded in 1585–95; Middle English jarre “liquid measure smaller than a barrel,” possibly from Old French jarre, from Spanish or Portuguese jarra, jarro “a jar, pitcher,” or from Medieval Latin jarra, from Old Provençal jarra, from Arabic jarrah “earthen water vessel”
Origin of jar2
First recorded in 1520–30; probably imitative; cf. chirr
Origin of jar3
Explanation
A jar is a smooth-sided, round container that's often made of glass. Jars are useful for storing food, from rice to tea bags to cookies. A wide-mouth jar made of pottery might hold Oreos, and a small, short jar could contain homemade jam. When you put something in a jar, you jar it. Another way to use the verb version of jar is to mean "shock painfully or unpleasantly:" "Every bump we drove over in the old Jeep would jar my whole body." The jar that's a container probably stems from the Middle French jarre, "liquid measure."
Vocabulary lists containing jar
Essential Three-Letter Words, Part 1
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
"A Night to Remember," Vocabulary from the history writing
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
The Darkest Minds
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Once, he found a jar of cherries, which they shared for breakfast.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 11, 2026
Instead of a jar there’s a white board and every time someone speaks in AI-like language, they get a tally mark.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026
David Bowie used to put words in a jar and then pull them out and make a song from that.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 24, 2026
Then again, sometimes an expensive jar is simply an expensive jar.
From Salon ● Sep. 20, 2026
“Instead, a scary story is in order. It is Halloween, after all. Ella, would you please grab that calling jar from my desk?”
From "The Marvellers" by Dhonielle Clayton
On a sidewalk near home, I spotted a cardboard box with wide-mouth Ball jars.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
The Mint struck its final circulating pennies on Nov. 12, 2025, each one costing 3.69 cents to produce, leaving roughly 300 billion of them in jars, couches and the ashtrays of America.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 15, 2026
Archaeologists have found pieces of Greek pottery, as well as rooms and large jars for storing goods from the harbour, discoveries that Karam said showed the ancient city's "lively commercial activity".
From Barron's ● Aug. 29, 2026
Giardiniera is my first choice here — jars of it seem to appear at every Chicago market — but think of the filling as a template for whatever good, spicy pickled thing you bring home.
From Salon ● Aug. 16, 2026
Now we were left with nothing—a half gallon of milk, a pitcher of Tang, some onions, and a door full of stuff in jars.
From "The Line Tender" by Kate Allen
"I'd had a lot of calls that day from people who cared, who were stunned... and I just felt there was a lightness in his tone about Diana's death that really jarred with me."
From BBC ● Sep. 20, 2026
The unnamed condiment originally mixed herbs and spices with buttermilk and mayonnaise and its popularity with guests led to it being jarred so they could take some home.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 19, 2026
He recommends starting with fresh garlic, as opposed to garlic that has already been canned or jarred.
From Salon ● Apr. 19, 2026
Scientists, jarred by Beecher’s findings, grew more invested in ruling out the possibility that a drug’s effects were due to placebo.
From Slate ● Jan. 30, 2026
The only thing that jarred and bothered me when she came in the Store was her voice.
From "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou
It was all the more jarring because elsewhere Nordqvist had unmistakably fostered that famed European spirit which so often permeates through Solheim and Ryder Cup successes.
From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2026
Thousands of drivers have filed complaints with U.S. auto-safety regulators describing jarring incidents in which their sunroof unexpectedly exploded or shattered, often while they were driving.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 30, 2026
This shift in focus was jarring for the Post, which had previously published a diversity of viewpoints in its opinion pages while maintaining a largely liberal editorial orientation.
From Salon ● Aug. 25, 2026
That sum was jarring enough to send me hunting for answers.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026
The thought of him in the midmorning light, with the huntress standing before her, was jarring.
From "Ash" by Malinda Lo
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
