jugular
Americanadjective
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Anatomy.
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of or relating to the throat or neck.
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noting or pertaining to any of certain large veins of the neck, especially one external jugular vein collecting blood from the superficial parts of the head or one internal jugular vein collecting blood from within the skull.
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(of a fish) having the pelvic fins at the throat, before the pectoral fins.
noun
idioms
adjective
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of, relating to, or situated near the throat or neck
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of, having, or denoting pelvic fins situated in front of the pectoral fins
a jugular fish
noun
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short for jugular vein
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to make a savage and destructive attack on an enemy's weakest point
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of jugular
1590–1600; < Late Latin jugulāris, equivalent to Latin jugul ( um ) throat ( see jugulate) + -āris -ar 1
Explanation
Jugular is short for “jugular vein,” the major vein that brings blood from your head to your heart. You can also call any vulnerable area the jugular. If you hear someone say, “Go for the jugular!” Watch out! A serious attack is coming. When lions attack prey, they chomp down on the jugular to kill the animal fast. If your jugular is cut, you could die very quickly without medical help. You can also call your neck and throat the jugular area. Because this is a vulnerable area, you can use this word for other vulnerable things, like a weak spot on a sports team.
Vocabulary lists containing jugular
Typical American
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Death Comes for the Archbishop
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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.
That’s because the Jugular and similar devices passively gather radio waves emitted whenever the phones communicate with a cell tower, according to public documents and people familiar with such tools.
From The Wall Street Journal • Aug. 18, 2015
According to purchase orders, its Jugular device costs about $6,500 to $8,500, depending on accessories.
From The Wall Street Journal • Aug. 18, 2015
Jugular, jug′ū-lar, adj. pertaining to the collar-bone, which joins the neck and shoulders.—n. one of the large veins on each side of the neck.
From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 2 of 4: E-M) by Various
Jugular sclerite: small sclerite in the membrane connecting the head with the thorax: see cervical sclerite.
From Explanation of Terms Used in Entomology by Smith, John. B.
Definitions 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.
