jab
Americanverb (used with object)
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to poke, or thrust abruptly or sharply, as with the end or point of a stick or with the finger or elbow.
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to punch with a short, quick blow.
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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.
verb (used without object)
noun
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a poke with the end or point of something; a sharp, quick thrust.
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a short, quick punch.
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Informal. a hypodermic injection, especially of a vaccine.
Have you gotten your flu jab yet?
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Informal. an abrupt insult or critical remark.
That guy has no problem responding with a sarcastic jab.
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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.
verb
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to poke or thrust sharply
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to strike with a quick short blow or blows
noun
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a sharp poke or stab
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a quick short blow, esp (in boxing) a straight punch with the leading hand
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informal an injection
polio jabs
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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jabsimple
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jabssimple
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have jabbedperfect
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has jabbedperfect
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am jabbingprogressive
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are jabbingprogressive
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is jabbingprogressive
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have been jabbingperfect progressive
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has been jabbingperfect progressive
Past
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jabbedsimple
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had jabbedperfect
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was jabbingprogressive
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were jabbingprogressive
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had been jabbingperfect progressive
Future
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."
Vocabulary lists containing jab
Essential Three-Letter Words, Part 3
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Because of Mr. Terupt
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Dear Martin
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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:
Despite potential savings for weight-loss jab users in some areas, the cost of the drugs is a concern for some.
From BBC ● Jul. 7, 2026
As they bicker and jab, their quiet dissatisfaction with their lives stops being so quiet.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 25, 2026
Lalas would return two days later, and get in a jab, mocking Zlatan’s light-colored suit.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 23, 2026
Brook also got an inside edge on a Henry lbw shout, only to jab the relentless seamer to slip.
From BBC ● Jun. 20, 2026
Not giving them time to respond to his jab, Dasch told them to get something to eat.
From Nazi Saboteurs by Samantha Seiple
Her comedic jabs at the American economy and humorous reflections juxtapose somber moments of stillness in the midst of her struggles.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 3, 2026
Samuel said roughly 70% of Hossana's 10,000 dogs were guard dogs which had received rabies jabs.
From BBC ● Jul. 2, 2026
After hurting the Brazilian with jabs and body kicks in the first round before escaping out of harm's way, Gane landed the decisive strike.
From BBC ● Jun. 15, 2026
The first round, he toys with Rocky—stinging jabs, taunts.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 11, 2026
Malaver and his partner drilled us in various jabs and parries.
From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover
Mid-vows, “Madonna jabbed her middle finger upward,” J. Randy Taraborrelli wrote in “Madonna: An Intimate Biography.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 28, 2026
Silva later told investigators she was jabbed with the stick, but nowhere in the video does she report it to the officers assisting her.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 22, 2026
It was also possible that he accidentally jabbed himself, through his gloves, on a needle or a patient’s teeth.
From Slate ● Jun. 25, 2025
The remark earned some ridicule – “Somebody got stuffed in a locker,” CNN panelist Scott Jennings jabbed – but sparked even more far-right fury.
From Salon ● Dec. 27, 2024
Bess jabbed her finger at one of the names: Kevin Garcia!
From "Scream for Ice Cream: Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew, #2" by Carolyn Keene
The artist and buyer were nonconformists, jabbing at, well, something.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 18, 2026
Of course, he’d likely do all that during a campaign while continuing his lowbrow online jabbing, since the online world remains a parallel reality where anything goes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 8, 2026
He loved to say it on the stump with his trademark snarl and jabbing finger.
From Salon ● Dec. 11, 2025
She delivered her comic broadsides at high speed, jabbing her points home like a street-fighter.
From BBC ● Nov. 2, 2024
Inside my head, Robert jabbing his finger at me.
From "Girls Like Us" by Gail Giles
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.
