joust
Americannoun
-
jousts
plural
-
a combat in which two knights on horseback attempted to unhorse each other with blunted lances.
-
this type of combat fought in a highly formalized manner as part of a tournament.
-
jousts, a tournament.
-
a personal competition or struggle.
verb (used without object)
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jousts,
present (3rd person singular)
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jousted,
past participle, past
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jousting
present participle
-
to contend in a joust or tournament.
-
to contend, compete, or struggle.
The candidates will joust in a television debate.
noun
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
joustsimple
-
joustssimple
-
have joustedperfect
-
has joustedperfect
-
am joustingprogressive
-
are joustingprogressive
-
is joustingprogressive
-
have been joustingperfect progressive
-
has been joustingperfect progressive
Past
-
joustedsimple
-
had joustedperfect
-
was joustingprogressive
-
were joustingprogressive
-
had been joustingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of joust
1250–1300; (v.) Middle English justen, jousten < Old French juster, joster, jouster to tilt in the lists < Vulgar Latin *juxtāre to approach, clash, derivative of Latin juxtā approaching, bordering; (noun) Middle English juste, jouste < Old French juste, etc., derivative of juster
Explanation
To joust is to fight against someone, usually using lances, on horseback. Such a contest is called a joust. If you've ever seen a movie or TV show about medieval times, you might have seen two knights jousting. This is a sport that takes place on horseback and involves lances, which are long like spears. The knights charge each other and try to hit each other with the lances and knock each other off the horse. This type of contest — which usually involves a tournament — is called a joust. Jousting is as old as the Middle Ages.
Vocabulary lists containing joust
Medieval Europe - Introductory
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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:
Ahead of the event, Carden said the "free public joust" was "performance art" in a post on social media.
From BBC ● Oct. 19, 2026
But Sophie Cunningham has let the state turn her into a combination of Sancho Panza and Don Quixote, willing to joust with a windmill.
From Salon ● Aug. 9, 2026
His son, Prince Valarr, is shown participating at the joust at the end of the episode.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 25, 2026
Recently, one pair of cosmic dancers has turned astronomer’s heads by performing a very dangerous routine — which they’ve nicknamed the cosmic joust!
From Space Scoop ● May 21, 2025
“Will they joust for me? I should like that.”
From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin
Perhaps they’ll even find more cosmic jousts — enough to make a whole tournament!
From Space Scoop ● May 21, 2025
History shows they’ve acted as statesmen in times of crisis before and temporarily paused their jousts on social media and in the courts.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 23, 2025
Mr. Doocy is a reliable needler of Mr. Biden, although the president often appears more amused than angered by their jousts.
From New York Times ● Jan. 24, 2022
But jousts are the No. 1 attraction at Ren fests.
From Washington Post ● Jun. 24, 2021
Sir Kay managed to get them on the way to the lists at least an hour before the jousts could possibly begin.
From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White
The White House has jousted with Beijing on trade but reached a broad truce with China after a major escalation last spring.
From Barron's ● Feb. 8, 2026
Fleetwood and Thomas jousted through the back nine and also made it to the last all square.
From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2025
Medieval English knights donned armor, mounted highly trained horses, and jousted with long lances in spectacular ritual combats.
From Science Magazine ● Mar. 21, 2024
Tesla and plaintiff attorneys jousted in the run-up about what evidence and arguments each side could make.
From Reuters ● Sep. 28, 2023
When two knights jousted they held their lances in their right hands, but they directed their horses at one another so that each man had his opponent on his near side.
From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White
Last year, thousands of people attended various events over a two-week period, from fireworks displays to jousting, and helped bring trade to local businesses.
From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026
TV commercials showed construction workers jousting with FatMaxes, and Stanley sued copycat competitors for alleged patent infringement.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 6, 2026
These include regional fisheries bodies and the International Seabed Authority -- the forum where nations are jousting over proposed rules on the environmentally destructive deep-sea mining industry.
From Barron's ● Jan. 17, 2026
Plus, Martin challenged the show to “do the best jousting sequences that were ever done on film,” and showrunner Ira Parker said they made it happen, touting one particular jousting scene as “badass.”
From MarketWatch ● Dec. 31, 2025
Ned walked with the king to the jousting field.
From "A Game of Thrones" by George R.R. Martin
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