jab

[jab]

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.

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. 2018

Related Words for jab

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

Examples from the Web for jab

Contemporary Examples of 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
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
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
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
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

Historical Examples of jab

Cochise let go the ladder with one hand to jab his knife at Lennon's leg.
Bloom of Cactus
Robert Ames Bennet
A jab from someone's elbow had decorated Dulcie Vale with a black eye.
Marjorie Dean, College Sophomore
Pauline Lester
He shortened his right arm for a jab like the crash of a pile-driver.
The Trail of '98
Robert W. Service
We can jab it off its hook with a billiard-cue, I should think, Moke.
The Right Stuff
Ian Hay
If I see another one, I'll jab him with one of these knitting needles.
Tom Slade with the Colors
Percy K. Fitzhugh

British Dictionary definitions for jab

jab

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

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.

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.