jab

[ jab ]

/ dʒæb /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR jab ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with or without object), jabbed, jab·bing.

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

to punch, especially with a short, quick blow.

noun

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

a short, quick punch.

RELATED WORDS

dig, punch, blow, buck, hit, bump, nudge, lunge, push, stab, bunt, jog, thrust, tap, prod

Nearby words

j/psi particle, ja, ja well no fine, ja., jaap, jab, jabal, jabalpur, jabari, jabber, jabberwocky

Origin of jab

1815–25; variant, orig. Scots, of job²

Related formsjab·bing·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for jab

Maybe you think Botox is no big deal—a quick lunchtime jab to freshen up the face?
Nicole Kidman Botox Insanity: Why All Women Lose Out When We Obsess Over Stars’ Faces|Emma Woolf|May 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
This could be construed as a jab at Kentucky Senator Rand Paul, who is actively considering both.
Forget the White House, Marco Rubio Might Be Lucky Just to Be Reelected|Myra Adams|May 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
There was the jab at a blue-haired Liza Minnelli, claiming she was a man in drag masquerading as the Oscar winning legend.
Surprise! Ellen DeGeneres is the Best Oscars Host in a Decade|Marlow Stern|March 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A man was restraining him from behind while, to his horror, he said, he saw another leaning in to jab a syringe into his arm.
Egypt’s Vanished: Victims of State Security Force Kidnappings?|Alastair Beach|September 18, 2012|DAILY BEAST

Even Gingrich, after complimenting Cain's attempt to simplify a complex idea, took a jab at the pizza guy.
GOP Debate Live Updates||October 18, 2011|DAILY BEAST
He made a jab into the snow wall, and cut out a big square chunk of whiteness.
The Curlytops Snowed In|Howard R. Garis
Makes him wince a little, that jab does, and he flushes up under the eyes.
Shorty McCabe on the Job|Sewell Ford
Sergeant, if you make a move agin me I'll surely blow your head off en you, an' jab my bayonet through the next man.
Si Klegg, Book 2 (of 6)|John McElroy
He suffered pain from the jab in his eye, and was made more restless and fidgety by the excitement and his strange surroundings.
Brave Tom|Edward S. Ellis
We shall have the krises, and if they seize either of us, the other must go down and try and jab his kris into the beast's eyes.
Among Malay Pirates|G. A. Henty

British Dictionary definitions for jab

jab

/ (dʒæb) /

verb jabs, jabbing or jabbed

to poke or thrust sharply

to strike with a quick short blow or blows

noun

a sharp poke or stab

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

informal an injectionpolio jabs

Derived Formsjabbing, adjectivejabbingly, adverb

Word Origin for jab

C19: originally Scottish variant of job

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

Word Origin and History for jab (1 of 2)

jab

1825, "to thrust with a point," Scottish variant of job "to strike, pierce, thrust," from Middle English jobben "to jab, thrust, peck" (late 15c.), of unknown origin, perhaps echoic. Related: Jabbed; jabbing.

Word Origin and History for jab (1 of 2)

jab

1825, from jab (v.). Meaning "a punch with the fist" is from 1889. Sense of "injection with a hypodermic needle," beloved by headline writers, is from 1914.