jostle

[ jos-uhl ]

/ ˈdʒɒs əl /

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See synonyms for: jostle / jostled / jostling on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), jos·tled, jos·tling.

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.

to exist in close contact or proximity with: The three families jostle each other in the small house.

to contend with: rival gangs continually jostling each other.

to unsettle; disturb: The thought jostled her complacency.

Slang. to pick the pocket of.

verb (used without object), jos·tled, jos·tling.

to bump or brush against someone or something, as in passing or in a crowd; push or shove (often followed by with, for, or against): He jostled for position.

to exist in close contact or proximity with someone or something.

to compete; contend.

Slang. to pick pockets.

noun

a shock, push, bump, or brush against someone or something.

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Sometimes jus·tle

[juhs-uhl] /ˈdʒʌs əl/ .

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

OTHER WORDS FROM jostle

jos·tle·ment, nounjostler, nounun·jos·tled, adjective

Words nearby jostle

Josquin des Prés, joss, josser, joss house, joss stick, jostle, jot, jota, jotter, jotting, Jotun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use jostle in a sentence

A hijacker who wears an explosive belt that goes off with the slightest jostle, or protesters who chain themselves to the tracks in front of a train carrying fuel to a nuclear plant, cannot be scared away from their mission.
It’s Not Irrational to Party Like It’s 1999 - Issue 108: Change|Steven Pinker|November 17, 2021|Nautilus
The cops gingerly transported King to a hospital, rightly guessing that the slightest jostle could have proved fatal.
VMAs Red Carpet in Brooklyn Wouldn’t Have Been Possible Without NYPD|Michael Daly|August 27, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Merchandise meetings and legal jargon jostle uncomfortably with superheroics, pajama parties with saving the world.
Wonder Woman: A Sneak Peek at David E. Kelley's Script|Jace Lacob|February 2, 2011|DAILY BEAST
Outside of the U.S. embassy, thousands of Americans and Haitians jostle daily for a ticket off the island.
Desperate to Escape Haiti|Joshua Robinson|February 5, 2010|DAILY BEAST

The two chief bears rush at the Master and the other bears jostle round them, egging them on.
Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 158, April 28, 1920|Various
In short, he may gratify his every whim and fancy, without a pang of reposing conscience, or the least jostle of his self-respect.
The Pocket R.L.S.|Robert Louis Stevenson
The people crowd, the groundlings jostle, men of quality press forward to the platform.
The Memoirs of Count Carlo Gozzi; Volume the first|Count Carlo Gozzi
In Oxford and Cambridge town and University are mixed together; shops jostle and elbow colleges in the streets.
Hyacinth|George A. Birmingham
The count also had dealings with the silversmith; for in the quartier Juif all classes meet and jostle each other.
International Weekly Miscellany, Vol. 1, No. 2, July 8, 1850|Various

British Dictionary definitions for jostle

jostle

/ (ˈdʒɒsəl) /

verb

to bump or push (someone) roughly

to come or bring into contact

to force (one's way) by pushing

noun

the act of jostling

a rough bump or push

Derived forms of jostle

jostlement, nounjostler, noun

Word Origin for jostle

C14: see joust

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

jostle

Origin of jostle

OTHER WORDS FROM jostle

Words nearby jostle

Words related to jostle

How to use jostle in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for jostle

Derived forms of jostle

Word Origin for jostle