jolt
Americanverb (used with object)
-
jolts,
present (3rd person singular)
-
jolted,
past participle, past
-
jolting
present participle
-
to jar, shake, or cause to move by or as if by a sudden rough thrust; shake up roughly.
The bus jolted its passengers as it went down the rocky road.
-
to knock sharply so as to dislodge.
He jolted the nail free with a stone.
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to stun with a blow, especially in boxing.
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to shock emotionally or psychologically.
His sudden death jolted us all.
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to bring to a desired state sharply or abruptly.
to jolt a person into awareness.
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to make active or alert, as by using an abrupt, sharp, or rough manner.
to jolt someone's memory.
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to interfere with or intrude upon, especially in a rough or crude manner; interrupt disturbingly.
verb (used without object)
-
jolts,
present (3rd person singular)
-
jolted,
past participle, past
-
jolting
present participle
noun
-
jolts
plural
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a jolting shock, movement, or blow.
The automobile gave a sudden jolt.
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an emotional or psychological shock.
The news of his arrest gave me quite a jolt.
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something that causes such a shock.
The news was a jolt to me.
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a sudden, unexpected rejection or defeat.
Their policy got a rude jolt from the widespread opposition.
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Slang. a prison sentence.
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Slang. an injection of a narcotic.
-
a bracing dose of something.
a jolt of whiskey; a jolt of fresh air.
verb
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to bump against with a jarring blow; jostle
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to move in a jolting manner
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to surprise or shock
noun
-
a sudden jar or blow
-
an emotional shock
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
joltsimple
-
joltssimple
-
have joltedperfect
-
has joltedperfect
-
am joltingprogressive
-
are joltingprogressive
-
is joltingprogressive
-
have been joltingperfect progressive
-
has been joltingperfect progressive
Past
-
joltedsimple
-
had joltedperfect
-
was joltingprogressive
-
were joltingprogressive
-
had been joltingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of jolt
1590–1600; blend of jot to jolt and joll to bump, both now dial.
Explanation
To jolt someone is to disturb them or make them jump. A jolt is sudden and jarring. Jolting disturbs or surprises people. If you surprise someone and they jump up a little, you jolted them. Alarm clocks jolt people out of sleep. A sudden crack of thunder could provide a jolt. The unexpected barking of a dog could jolt you. Jolting is quick and not very pleasant. A jolt jars and stuns you. Some jolts are more serious: crashing your car jolts the people in the car violently.
Vocabulary lists containing jolt
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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:
A tsunami warning was issued but lifted around three hours after the initial jolt.
From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026
The initial jolt was followed by strong aftershocks in the same area, including one with a magnitude of 6.1.
From Barron's ● Aug. 15, 2026
The war in the Middle East — the most recent, and most severe, energy jolt — is showing no signs of abating.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 18, 2026
Mr. Day’s lushly orchestrated score, sweetly tonal throughout and full of harp riffs, is paced with a mellow sameness that even the frequent big climaxes can’t jolt into dramatic excitement or dangerous energy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026
Ollie slams his hands against the counter; I jolt at the noise.
From "Girl in the Blue Coat" by Monica Hesse
The archipelago, home to around 125 million people, typically experiences hundreds of jolts every year and accounts for about 18 percent of the world's earthquakes.
From Barron's ● Jul. 28, 2026
Riders and drivers took increasingly elaborate swerves to avoid the wince-inducing jolts of a full-on pothole clunk.
From BBC ● Jun. 10, 2026
If the U.S. were to seize loading terminals, pipelines and storage tanks at Kharg, that would represent a significant escalation of the conflict — and send more jolts through the global energy markets.
From MarketWatch ● Mar. 26, 2026
That, I think, is the drama’s central lesson, and the reason it feels calming instead of hitting us with endless jolts to the nervous system.
From Salon ● Jan. 8, 2026
The train jolts and scrapes and screeches back into motion, the little pile of clothes disappears from view and we trundle on towards London, moving at a brisk jogger’s pace.
From "The Girl on the Train" by Paula Hawkins
We heard from finance professionals, doctors, lawyers and many others who have been jolted or taken in by tricksters.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
On the first day, Beijing-based Moonshot AI jolted global markets with a new model seen as ranking with the world’s best.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026
Hundreds of aftershocks have jolted southern Philippines after a magnitude 7.8 earthquake left dozens of people dead and hundreds more injured.
From BBC ● Jun. 9, 2026
Buffalo-based Benz was jolted from her couch by a call from an unknown number.
From Barron's ● Jun. 3, 2026
He had jolted awake, sweaty and anxious to get going, but then had to wait for Short-long to meet him in a safe place with the boat.
From "A Wish in the Dark" by Christina Soontornvat
Stocks tumbled last month as the conflict in the Middle East escalated, threatening to raise fuel costs worldwide and jolting global energy markets.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 23, 2026
Many, though, are hidden under seats or couches, as the audio will trail the actors around the room, or perhaps a sudden crash or door opening will have me jolting my attention elsewhere.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 26, 2026
For many Californians in Puerto Vallarta, a tourist magnet widely known as one of the safest cities in Mexico, the experience was jolting.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 23, 2026
Women ride past on donkey carts, piled high with vegetables, jolting over potholes deep enough to trap a wheel.
From Barron's ● Feb. 18, 2026
Grandma says in a loud whisper, jolting me back to the room.
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
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.
