jab
Americanverb (used with object)
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jabs,
present (3rd person singular)
-
jabbed,
past participle, past
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jabbing
present participle
-
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)
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jabs,
present (3rd person singular)
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jabbed,
past participle, past
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jabbing
present participle
noun
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jabs
plural
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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:
This explains Carney’s jab, at his press conference last weekend, that the United States’ signature is sometimes “written in pencil.”
From Slate ● Aug. 26, 2026
The result is a personalised anti-cancer jab which is specific to the patient's tumour and instructs the immune system to recognise and attack any tumour cells that remain.
From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026
The jab is being created by a team from the University of Oxford based on the same technology used in the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid vaccine.
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026
The Singapore-based Hilleman Laboratories announced on Thursday it would advance the rVSV Bundibugyo jab so it can be tested on humans during clinical trials.
From Barron's ● Jul. 30, 2026
Time, time, time, thought Alfred, flicking out the jab.
From "The Contender" by Robert Lipsyte
The chain had officially entered chicken sandwich territory, and this quickly spurred a massive fight with the OG sandwich maker Chick-fil-A, with the two brands throwing jabs at each other online for weeks.
From Slate ● Aug. 24, 2026
It was a punch delivered in Atlanta on Sunday and felt all the way in Washington, smooth and fluid, like one of Sugar Ray Robinson’s left hooks or Muhammad Ali’s left jabs.
From Salon ● Aug. 20, 2026
But keeping weight-loss jabs secret can lead to problems, he says.
From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026
The Metro also leads on a jabs story, but instead headlines on weight loss injections.
From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026
The words came out like stiff little jabs in the air.
From "The Secret Life of Bees" by Sue Monk Kidd
Convenience plays a big role, she says; vaccination rates are highest when parents regularly interact with medics, who can remind them to get their children jabbed and tell them exactly where to do it.
From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2026
And the midtempo ballad “The Knife” describes a collapsing relationship as a mortal threat, akin to a dagger jabbed into one’s side or a case of kerosene waiting to be ignited.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 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
Ariel Courage’s debut is a fork jabbed into the electric socket of America.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 27, 2025
The superintendent jabbed a note on his form with his pencil.
From "The Teacher’s Funeral" by Richard Peck
For rock fans, “Boston” had it all—dramatic guitar solos, powerful lead vocals, a jabbing bass line, thrashing drums and catchy songs with a smart blend of pop and metal.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 15, 2026
He loved to say it on the stump with his trademark snarl and jabbing finger.
From Salon ● Dec. 11, 2025
One of his trainers was the legendary Eddie Futch, who between lessons in jabbing and ducking told Roach that his best piece of lifetime advice was to “never open your own gym.”
From Los Angeles Times ● May 16, 2025
She delivered her comic broadsides at high speed, jabbing her points home like a street-fighter.
From BBC ● Nov. 2, 2024
“Jax is his own person, so don’t you start comparing him to anyone else. He’s been a big help to me today. Jax, this here’s Sis,” Ma says, jabbing her thumb in the woman’s direction.
From "Dragons in a Bag" by Zetta Elliott
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.
