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:
This year, companies will also jostle to sell space, analysts say, with roomy SUVs' new growth area targeting customers prioritising seating and comfort.
From Barron's ● Apr. 24, 2026
Canada will grab and jostle the U.S., get physical and hope to throw off their mojo.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 17, 2026
It is also possible that relatively moderate figures in the regime could jostle their way to the top.
From BBC ● Jan. 16, 2026
Ronan, better known as a painter in New York’s contemporary art world, chronicles a collection of still lives who jostle themselves out of an emotional stupor.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2025
We jostle one another in the cab, thrown this way and that way by the uneven ground.
From "Allegiant" by Veronica Roth
Oil trade is likely to be choppy Friday, as the increased flow of oil through the Strait of Hormuz jostles with concerns around the terms of peace, Brooks adds.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 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
When the doorbell rings, Oliver wipes his face and jostles with Jameson to answer.
From Slate ● Apr. 29, 2023
And as the industry jostles for more fans overseas, some fans say the labels are no longer focusing on what made K-pop so successful.
From New York Times ● Apr. 4, 2023
My mom lands her car a few houses away from JP’s, and the newest pothole on the street jostles us around.
From "The Manifestor Prophecy" by Angie Thomas
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
As residents, activists, farmers and journalists squeezed and jostled through the crowd, holding court in one corner was Budd-Falen, the high-ranking official with the Interior Department.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026
Inside, mourners jostled to touch the coffin before prayers were held.
From BBC ● Jul. 8, 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
He had been locked up for days, had been jostled, bumped, dropped.
From "The Reader" by Traci Chee
Holding, pushing, shoving, jostling and grappling inside the penalty area became something of an epidemic in the Premier League last season.
From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026
The U.S. government’s push for a foothold for American drone technology on Everest recalls the history of geopolitical jostling in the Himalayan region during the Cold War.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026
Companies are jostling to take stakes in the robotics sector.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 17, 2026
Instead, the wows come from good stagings of ordinary action: a car crash, a gripped crucifix, a hideout crowded with jostling, thrumming musical instruments.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 10, 2026
The children were tired now, or else the adults had regained some authority, because people were lining up raggedly by the main door, with much jostling and pushing.
From "The Golden Compass" by Philip Pullman
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.
