jar
1 Americannoun
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a broad-mouthed container, usually cylindrical and of glass or earthenware.
a cookie jar.
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the quantity such a container can or does hold.
verb (used without object)
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to have a harshly unpleasant or perturbing effect on one's nerves, feelings, thoughts, etc..
The sound of the alarm jarred.
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to produce a harsh, grating sound; sound discordantly.
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to vibrate audibly; rattle.
The window jarred in the frame.
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to vibrate or shake.
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to conflict, clash, or disagree.
verb (used with object)
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to cause to rattle or shake.
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to have a sudden and unpleasant effect upon (the feelings, nerves, etc.).
The burglary violently jarred their sense of security.
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to cause to sound harshly or discordantly.
noun
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a jolt or shake; a vibrating movement, as from concussion.
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a sudden unpleasant effect upon the mind or feelings; shock.
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a harsh, grating sound.
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a discordant sound or combination of sounds.
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a quarrel or disagreement, especially a minor one.
noun
idioms
verb
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to vibrate or cause to vibrate
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to make or cause to make a harsh discordant sound
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(often foll by on) to have a disturbing or painful effect (on the nerves, mind, etc)
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(intr) to disagree; clash
noun
-
a jolt or shock
-
a harsh discordant sound
noun
-
a wide-mouthed container that is usually cylindrical, made of glass or earthenware, and without handles
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Also: jarful. the contents or quantity contained in a jar
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informal a glass of alcoholic drink, esp beer
to have a jar with someone
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obsolete a measure of electrical capacitance
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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jarsimple
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jarssimple
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have jarredperfect
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has jarredperfect
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am jarringprogressive
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are jarringprogressive
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is jarringprogressive
-
have been jarringperfect progressive
-
has been jarringperfect progressive
Past
-
jarredsimple
-
had jarredperfect
-
was jarringprogressive
-
were jarringprogressive
-
had been jarringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of jar1
First recorded in 1585–95; Middle English jarre “liquid measure smaller than a barrel,” possibly from Old French jarre, from Spanish or Portuguese jarra, jarro “a jar, pitcher,” or from Medieval Latin jarra, from Old Provençal jarra, from Arabic jarrah “earthen water vessel”
Origin of jar2
First recorded in 1520–30; probably imitative; cf. chirr
Origin of jar3
Explanation
A jar is a smooth-sided, round container that's often made of glass. Jars are useful for storing food, from rice to tea bags to cookies. A wide-mouth jar made of pottery might hold Oreos, and a small, short jar could contain homemade jam. When you put something in a jar, you jar it. Another way to use the verb version of jar is to mean "shock painfully or unpleasantly:" "Every bump we drove over in the old Jeep would jar my whole body." The jar that's a container probably stems from the Middle French jarre, "liquid measure."
Vocabulary lists containing jar
Essential Three-Letter Words, Part 1
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"A Night to Remember," Vocabulary from the history writing
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The Darkest Minds
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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:
Richard Thomas came out carrying venison and beef sausage, banana nut bread, a dog toy and a jar of apple maple bacon jam.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026
The detainees said an 8 oz. jar of Folgers instant coffee costs $18 at the California City facility, a single instant ramen soup is 75 cents and a box of 40 tampons costs nearly $21.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2026
Somewhere along the line, the ideal picnic became a scattering of photogenic snacks: a baguette, a wedge of cheese, a handful of berries, perhaps a tiny jar of olives if someone was feeling ambitious.
From Salon ● Jun. 18, 2026
Claire Salinda: Your composition captures flowers, chamoy and other candies and fruit sumptuously arranged in and around a ceramic jar from LACMA’s permanent collection.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 17, 2026
She mopped up the liquid and thumped down a new glass onto the table, with a plate of cheese and a jar of something pickled.
From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell
Dishes include a lentil soup that she sells to-go in 1-liter jars.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 11, 2026
Another reader stores leftovers and produce in Mason jars or reusable silicone bags instead of disposable zip-top bags.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 7, 2026
The walls carry bottles, cans, jars, and echo hushed conversation.
From Salon ● Jun. 23, 2026
These small mesh tents cover less than a square meter of ground and funnel emerging insects into glass jars.
From Science Daily ● May 28, 2026
I could see dust-covered jars pushed toward the back of the top shelf.
From "Root Magic" by Eden Royce
The unnamed condiment originally mixed herbs and spices with buttermilk and mayonnaise and its popularity with guests led to it being jarred so they could take some home.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 19, 2026
He recommends starting with fresh garlic, as opposed to garlic that has already been canned or jarred.
From Salon ● Apr. 19, 2026
Scientists, jarred by Beecher’s findings, grew more invested in ruling out the possibility that a drug’s effects were due to placebo.
From Slate ● Jan. 30, 2026
The lack of clarity raises the prospect that the chaos of the past few days, which jarred markets and stress tested trans-Atlantic diplomacy, could return in the near future.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 22, 2026
Her next words jarred his stomach loose from his backbone.
From "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck
The roughly 7 million student-loan borrowers who were enrolled in SAVE, a Biden-era repayment program, will likely experience some of the most jarring changes over the next few months.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 1, 2026
Investors cheering chip makers’ booming profits came to a jarring realization: Someone has to pay for that.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026
Heil said he had just visited an exhibit featuring art made by artificial intelligence - an experience which he described as jarring.
From BBC ● Jun. 23, 2026
Political experts argue that messages that seem contradictory to a candidate’s background, as well as drowning voters with incessant ads, can be jarring and off-putting to the electorate.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 10, 2026
I was expecting the usual jarring thud, but my hands didn’t stop when they hit the mud.
From "Ugly" by Robert Hoge
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.
