jilt
Americanverb (used with object)
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jilts,
present (3rd person singular)
-
jilted,
past participle, past
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jilting
present participle
noun
verb
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
jiltsimple
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jiltssimple
-
have jiltedperfect
-
has jiltedperfect
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am jiltingprogressive
-
are jiltingprogressive
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is jiltingprogressive
-
have been jiltingperfect progressive
-
has been jiltingperfect progressive
Past
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jiltedsimple
-
had jiltedperfect
-
was jiltingprogressive
-
were jiltingprogressive
-
had been jiltingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of jilt
First recorded in 1650–60; earlier jilt “harlot,” shortening of jillet
Explanation
When you jilt someone, you throw them over or reject them, especially romantically. It would be cruel to jilt your boyfriend on the day before the prom. If a bride jilts her groom, she leaves him waiting for her in his tuxedo, and if a boy jilts his date, he never shows up at the planned time. In either case, it's an unkind and thoughtless thing to do to someone. In the 1660s, to jilt meant "to deceive, cheat, or trick," and it was also a noun meaning "woman who gives hope and then dashes it," from the Middle English root gille, "lass or wench."
Vocabulary lists containing jilt
A Doll's House
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The Secret Life of Bees
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Chronicle of a Death Foretold
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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:
Trying to remain friends ruined Jack’s marriage and made Alice jilt another man at the altar.
From Salon ● Apr. 19, 2024
But as of Sunday and then Monday, the jilt has taken leave of its senses and become indiscriminate.
From Washington Post ● Nov. 30, 2021
Every time you are tempted to respond, look at your fiancé—the one who didn’t jilt you and lie to you.
From Slate ● Apr. 16, 2019
Amos was raised in Maryland, a Led Zeppelin-loving daughter of a minister, and self-taught pianist who would jilt both church and conservatoire to forge her own sound in the 90s: wildly original, taboo-busting piano pop.
From The Guardian ● Sep. 7, 2017
Why should he jilt the woman,—make a stir?
From The Intelligence of Woman by Walter Lionel George
Then she watches as he jilts her for Julie Andrews’s Maria, a 19-year-old wannabe nun who runs around wearing drapes.
From New York Times ● Apr. 21, 2020
In “Queen,” the female lead takes a European “honeymoon” by herself after her fiance jilts her.
From Washington Times ● Apr. 27, 2017
The film stars Jill Clayburgh as a thirtysomething gallerist, wife and mother whose life is turned upside down when her stockbroker husband jilts her for a younger woman.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2014
San Diego State jilts Big East, staying in Mountain West San Diego State is staying in the Mountain West and backing out on the Big East — just like Boise State did last month.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 17, 2013
If his sweetheart jilts him, he's in despair, and if she marries him he wishes he were dead.
From Brann the Iconoclast — Volume 12 by William Cowper Brann
The competition jilted several companies that didn’t make the cut, leading defense-tech executives to complain to members of Congress and sue the government, separate people familiar with the matter said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026
Nicknamed PixTinder by some, PIX has even become a last resort for jilted lovers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 18, 2026
Well-wishers held out their flowers like jilted lovers.
From BBC ● May 14, 2026
They also included twins Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, the founders of crypto platform Gemini, who were made famous as jilted investors in the movie "The Social Network" about the birth of Facebook.
From Barron's ● Oct. 20, 2025
I looked at Rosaleen, afraid this situation of jilted love might be unfortunate enough to send May into one of her episodes, but she was intent on my pancake.
From "The Secret Life of Bees" by Sue Monk Kidd
They make a likable pair as they set out to solve the mystery of a jilting.
From New York Times ● Aug. 3, 2022
Within a decade of his death, Angelenos were jilting horseflesh contests for horsepower.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 21, 2022
“Amazon’s hiring spree is concentrated in Seattle,” this newspaper reported, adding that this is a “degree of rebuke” to the idea the company is jilting us over the payroll tax.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 4, 2021
Killebrew and Allison took the Twins to the World Series in 1965, while Senators 2.0 had one winning season before again jilting the city and moving to Texas in 1972.
From Slate ● Mar. 29, 2018
Instinctively he took the judge's part, as if he must establish himself firmly in the father's good graces in order to make premature amends for the jilting of his daughter.
From Gargoyles by Ben Hecht
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.
