jostle
Americanverb (used with object)
-
jostles,
present (3rd person singular)
-
jostled,
past participle, past
-
jostling
present participle
-
to bump, push, shove, brush against, or elbow roughly or rudely.
-
to drive or force by, or as if by, pushing or shoving.
The crowd jostled him into the subway.
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to exist in close contact or proximity with.
The three families jostle each other in the small house.
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to contend with.
rival gangs continually jostling each other.
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to unsettle; disturb.
The thought jostled her complacency.
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Slang. to pick the pocket of.
verb (used without object)
-
jostles,
present (3rd person singular)
-
jostled,
past participle, past
-
jostling
present participle
-
to bump or brush against someone or something, as in passing or in a crowd; push or shove (often followed by with, for, oragainst ).
He jostled for position.
-
to exist in close contact or proximity with someone or something.
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to compete; contend.
-
Slang. to pick pockets.
noun
verb
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to bump or push (someone) roughly
-
to come or bring into contact
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to force (one's way) by pushing
noun
-
the act of jostling
-
a rough bump or push
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
jostlesimple
-
jostlessimple
-
have jostledperfect
-
has jostledperfect
-
am jostlingprogressive
-
are jostlingprogressive
-
is jostlingprogressive
-
have been jostlingperfect progressive
-
has been jostlingperfect progressive
Past
-
jostledsimple
-
had jostledperfect
-
was jostlingprogressive
-
were jostlingprogressive
-
had been jostlingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of jostle
First recorded in 1350–1400; variant (in Middle English, variant spelling) of justle, equivalent to just(en) “to joust” + -le; see origin at joust
Explanation
The verb jostle describes being bumped and pushed in a horde of people — or doing the bumping, like those at a concert who jostle their way to the front, and the people jostled out of their spots when the newcomers arrive. Jostle describes both what someone does, like an impatient person who jostles other people out of his way on a crowded bus or subway car, and what happens to those victims: They may have their bags and cups of hot coffee jostled out of their hands by the impatient one's pushing and shoving. When you say the word jostle remember to shove the t out of the way because it's silent: "JOSS-ul."
Vocabulary lists containing jostle
100 Words Every Middle Schooler Should Know
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List 4
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Essential Academic Vocabulary for Middle School Students, List 8
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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:
Artificial intelligence is expected to be a major topic as the world’s two biggest economies jostle for leadership in the burgeoning technology.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 21, 2026
The 2023 Man Maw mine shutdown was likely caused by a jostle for control among dynastic Wa groups, the Crisis Group said, rather than armed conflict.
From Barron's ● Sep. 10, 2026
We’re hearing the music even as we jostle through high-school hallways in our mind, revisiting old crushes and humiliations.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 15, 2026
It is also possible that relatively moderate figures in the regime could jostle their way to the top.
From BBC ● Jan. 16, 2026
I feel it in the kitchen, where we jostle for space when cooking our evening meals.
From "The Girl on the Train" by Paula Hawkins
The Chinese company has been spending heavily on the technology as it jostles with rivals for dominance in the rapidly growing AI sector.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026
Fatima jostles to get free food and clothing provided by the private Dubai-based charity Waqf al-Farah, which organised the convoy.
From BBC ● May 15, 2025
Her biggest backer remains India, which has invested in several infrastructure projects as it jostles for influence against rival China in the region.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 7, 2024
When the doorbell rings, Oliver wipes his face and jostles with Jameson to answer.
From Slate ● Apr. 29, 2023
The train brakes suddenly and jostles us even closer together.
From "The Sun Is Also a Star" by Nicola Yoon
Leo Gonzales, Marana’s operations manager, said guiding the machine from screens instead of looking through the cab’s windshield was an adjustment at first, but he appreciates not getting jostled in the actual cab.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 19, 2026
Gaggles of British tourists with fur coats and spray tans jostled for seating, clutching their outerwear to their chests for space as they scouted for a table to open up.
From Slate ● Aug. 24, 2026
At the Great Hall of the People, journalists from both sides jostled each other to get a place before the meeting as US and Chinese officials tried to keep order.
From Barron's ● May 14, 2026
Every excursion includes the likelihood of being uncomfortably jostled or, worse, dropped as he’s being transferred to his seat.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 15, 2026
The gods jostled each other to be the next to ask him questions, and his answers to them were always wise.
From "Norse Mythology" by Neil Gaiman
This repeated jostling helps explain why sea ice does not simply keep accelerating and spreading in response to the wind.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 18, 2026
Scores of women queued at a school sheltering Nepal flood victims, jostling to receive personal-care supplies, as concerns over sanitation and menstrual hygiene mount days after the catastrophic disaster.
From Barron's ● Sep. 1, 2026
Despite this demure exterior, former employees say the Sussexes and the Waleses have spent years monitoring one another from afar on social media, jostling to capture favorable headlines.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026
There’s some jostling over the job of backing up quarterback Justin Herbert, featuring a replay of last summer’s competition between Trey Lance and DJ Uiagalelei.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026
Autumn elbows me, jostling me from my thoughts.
From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer
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.
