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.
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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:
As soon as we’ve adjusted to the absurdism, Iñárritu gives the movie a seismic jolt.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 29, 2026
All eyes were on the jolt higher by U.S.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 23, 2026
Apparently, plenty of other Chicagoans have experienced the same little jolt.
From Salon ● Sep. 6, 2026
It’s a spectacle akin to Nascar on the water, with a jolt of monster truck energy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
I loved the little jolt of satisfaction I got anytime I finished off some small organizational task.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
El Niño jolts California fuel market—and brings epic waves to a surf spot.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026
"Suddenly there were a few jolts, and then after about three seconds it got stronger and stronger," one of the passengers, Louis, 24, told ICI Normandie radio.
From Barron's ● Sep. 12, 2026
"All I could do was hold the chair I was sitting in as big jolts came one after another," she added, appearing to still be in shock.
From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026
The spreading conflict and damage to some oil and gas facilities in the region earlier this week have resulted in steep equity and debt selloffs and jolts to crude markets.
From MarketWatch ● Mar. 4, 2026
His measurements indicated that he had accelerated ions to 80,000 volts by spiraling them around the vacuum chamber forty-one times, thereby delivering eighty-two resonant jolts.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
The temblor jolted the area at 12:13 a.m., with an epicenter about three miles south-southeast of Compton.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 6, 2026
The idea has jolted Canada, which depends on Alberta’s oil-and-gas revenue and is in the midst of a trade fight with the U.S.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 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
He didn’t even see the trail where she had been standing when the walker was jolted out of her hands.
From "Earthquake Terror" by Peg Kehret
The 10-year Treasury rate doesn’t appear all that elevated when looking back in history over many decades, although the speed at which it has climbed has been jolting this quarter, Faber said in an interview.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 30, 2026
It’s easy to assume that today’s whirlwind of disruptive tech—robo-cars, AI, brain implants and more—is jolting American society as never before.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 2, 2026
But while Space Mountain tops off at about 32 mph, it likely still has Galacticoaster beat in the intensity factor due to its lift hill, sudden dips, jolting turns and near pitch-black darkness.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 6, 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
“Jackson,” Miss Lawrence said, jolting Jackson out of his thoughts.
From "I Survived the Great Alaska Earthquake, 1964" by Lauren Tarshis
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.
