jolt
Americanverb (used with object)
-
jolts,
present (3rd person singular)
-
jolted,
past participle, past
-
jolting
present participle
-
to jar, shake, or cause to move by or as if by a sudden rough thrust; shake up roughly.
The bus jolted its passengers as it went down the rocky road.
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to knock sharply so as to dislodge.
He jolted the nail free with a stone.
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to stun with a blow, especially in boxing.
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to shock emotionally or psychologically.
His sudden death jolted us all.
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to bring to a desired state sharply or abruptly.
to jolt a person into awareness.
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to make active or alert, as by using an abrupt, sharp, or rough manner.
to jolt someone's memory.
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to interfere with or intrude upon, especially in a rough or crude manner; interrupt disturbingly.
verb (used without object)
-
jolts,
present (3rd person singular)
-
jolted,
past participle, past
-
jolting
present participle
noun
-
jolts
plural
-
a jolting shock, movement, or blow.
The automobile gave a sudden jolt.
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an emotional or psychological shock.
The news of his arrest gave me quite a jolt.
-
something that causes such a shock.
The news was a jolt to me.
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a sudden, unexpected rejection or defeat.
Their policy got a rude jolt from the widespread opposition.
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Slang. a prison sentence.
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Slang. an injection of a narcotic.
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a bracing dose of something.
a jolt of whiskey; a jolt of fresh air.
verb
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to bump against with a jarring blow; jostle
-
to move in a jolting manner
-
to surprise or shock
noun
-
a sudden jar or blow
-
an emotional shock
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
joltsimple
-
joltssimple
-
have joltedperfect
-
has joltedperfect
-
am joltingprogressive
-
are joltingprogressive
-
is joltingprogressive
-
have been joltingperfect progressive
-
has been joltingperfect progressive
Past
-
joltedsimple
-
had joltedperfect
-
was joltingprogressive
-
were joltingprogressive
-
had been joltingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of jolt
1590–1600; blend of jot to jolt and joll to bump, both now dial.
Explanation
To jolt someone is to disturb them or make them jump. A jolt is sudden and jarring. Jolting disturbs or surprises people. If you surprise someone and they jump up a little, you jolted them. Alarm clocks jolt people out of sleep. A sudden crack of thunder could provide a jolt. The unexpected barking of a dog could jolt you. Jolting is quick and not very pleasant. A jolt jars and stuns you. Some jolts are more serious: crashing your car jolts the people in the car violently.
Vocabulary lists containing jolt
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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:
After the expected jolt to asset prices on Monday, where they head after will likely depend on policy statements, GS economists said in the wake of the poll results.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 26, 2026
Your morning brew could deliver another jolt to your wallet, courtesy of Mother Nature.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 22, 2026
By the time he realised, with a sudden jolt of panic, it was too late.
From BBC ● Oct. 20, 2026
A small splash of vinegar at the end of cooking can give a tired pot an almost startling jolt.
From Salon ● Oct. 5, 2026
Bud gave a tremendous jolt, then began to buck, throwing his body in tight circles.
From "Educated" by Tara Westover
Across the region, other election officials were getting similar jolts.
From Salon ● Oct. 24, 2026
El Niño jolts California fuel market—and brings epic waves to a surf spot.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026
"Suddenly there were a few jolts, and then after about three seconds it got stronger and stronger," one of the passengers, Louis, 24, told ICI Normandie radio.
From Barron's ● Sep. 12, 2026
Riders and drivers took increasingly elaborate swerves to avoid the wince-inducing jolts of a full-on pothole clunk.
From BBC ● Jun. 10, 2026
The train jolts forward, slowly, lurching as the couplings tighten.
From "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen
The imminent arrival of the Kelvin wave comes as California has jolted into emergency mode.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026
Billionaire Bill Koch, the 1992 winner, jolted the sport by assembling an all-women’s team to mount a state-of-the-art defense.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
Now, the reshaping of the Mayor’s Fund has jolted the city’s business elite, in part because it points to the most decisive shift in power favoring the governing class in about 50 years.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026
The repeated heatwaves and wildfires have jolted the public into reflection on the reality of climate change.
From Barron's ● Jul. 30, 2026
The wagon jolted along on the homeward road through the Big Woods.
From "Little House in the Big Woods" by Laura Ingalls Wilder
The bond market rout of 2026 may be jolting markets, but it’s also gaining a important following among savers and the risk averse.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026
The bond-market rout of 2026 may be jolting markets, but it’s also gaining a important following among savers and the risk-averse.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 5, 2026
The 10-year Treasury rate doesn’t appear all that elevated when looking back in history over many decades, although the speed at which it has climbed has been jolting this quarter, Faber said in an interview.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 30, 2026
His bold declarations are part of his negotiating strategy, administration officials said, aimed at jolting negotiators into action and ratcheting up pressure on Iran to agree to a final deal.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 17, 2026
The second bell rings, jolting me back to normal Williamson, where I’m not normal Starr.
From "The Hate U Give" by Angie Thomas
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
