jab

American  

[jab] / dʒæb /

verb (used with object)

jabbed, jabbing

1. to poke, or thrust abruptly or sharply, as with the end or point of a stick or with the finger or elbow.

2. to punch with a short, quick blow.

3. Informal. to give (a person) a hypodermic injection, especially of a vaccine: I jab myself with insulin twice a day.

   Here’s a list of the countries you can visit if you haven’t been jabbed.

   I jab myself with insulin twice a day.

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verb (used without object)

jabbed, jabbing

1. to poke or punch with a sharp, quick blow.

noun

1. a poke with the end or point of something; a sharp, quick thrust.

2. a short, quick punch.

3. Informal. a hypodermic injection, especially of a vaccine.

   Have you gotten your flu jab yet?

4. Informal. an abrupt insult or critical remark.

   That guy has no problem responding with a sarcastic jab.

5. a sudden and unpleasant sensation or emotion: He knew she was happier now, but he still felt the slightest jab of guilt.

   I have jabs of pain, numbness, and tingling in my fingers.

   He knew she was happier now, but he still felt the slightest jab of guilt.

jab British  

/ dʒæb /

verb

1. to poke or thrust sharply

2. to strike with a quick short blow or blows

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noun

1. a sharp poke or stab

2. a quick short blow, esp (in boxing) a straight punch with the leading hand

3. informal an injection

   polio jabs

Other Word Forms

• jabbing
  adjective
• jabbingly
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of jab

First recorded in 1825–35; variant, originally Scots, of job ²

Explanation

When you jab someone, you poke that person. No one on the school bus wants to sit next to the kid who tends to jab people in their ribs with his sharp elbows. You might accidentally jab a man on the elevator with your umbrella, or jab your annoying brother on purpose when he's talking with his mouth full at dinner. Another kind of jab is a quick, sharp punch, especially the kind you make in martial arts. The word comes from the Scottish job, "to strike, pierce, or thrust," which in turn is rooted in the Middle English jobben, "to jab or thrust."

Example Sentences

In one case, it helped the University of Oxford, where the AstraZeneca Jab was developed, to protect itself against an incident which had the potential to cause significant disruption to the UK's pandemic response.

From BBC • Nov. 17, 2021

And the No Jab, No Pay legislation withholding state benefits that was introduced in Australia in 2015 coincided with full immunization rates rising by around 3%.

From Nature • Nov. 26, 2019

“He’d turn around and say, ‘You got me, Jab!’

From Washington Post • May 2, 2018

Pence, his wife Karen and daughter Charlotte made a quick stop at Jib Jab Hot Dog Shoppe in Girard, Ohio, on Wednesday before an evening rally in nearby Leetonia.

From Washington Times • Sep. 28, 2016

Jab and run, dodge, forget the combinations, one punch at a time, two jabs, hit and run, stick and move, don't get too close too long.

From "The Contender" by Robert Lipsyte

Related Words

• dig
• punch