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)
-
jousts,
present (3rd person singular)
-
jousted,
past participle, past
-
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
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Top 50 Wordle Words of 2022
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
"Texas v. Johnson, Majority Opinion" by William J. Brennan
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
Many MPs believe that Badenoch has for some months now been an impressive combatant at Prime Minister's Questions, her weekly joust with the prime minister.
From BBC ● May 8, 2026
At the L.A. fair, there are generally three joust performances per day: the Deptford tournament joust, the queen’s joust and the “joust to the death.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 10, 2026
Image: This photo is an artist's impression of the cosmic joust, showing how the galaxy on the right hosts a quasar in the centre.
From Space Scoop ● May 21, 2025
But only some ply the style Walters created with some semblance of her skill, if not always or often with the sharp points and jabs with which she used to joust.
From Salon ● Jan. 7, 2023
“Suppose we’d better have a joust, eh, what?”
From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White
Perhaps they’ll even find more cosmic jousts — enough to make a whole tournament!
From Space Scoop ● May 21, 2025
Medieval Times Dinner and Tournament, based in Irving, Texas, is a Spanish nobility-themed dinner theater show with live-action jousts on horseback.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 17, 2023
His jousts with journalists give the book some of its best points of tension.
From New York Times ● Dec. 6, 2022
There's an expectation of the verbal jabs and jousts in parliament chambers.
From BBC ● Mar. 10, 2021
"The straw knight jousts better than that one."
From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin
During Friday’s hearing, the lawmakers turned to former CNN anchor Jim Acosta, who famously jousted with Trump during his first term, for his reflections.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 20, 2026
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
They mounted their scooters and took plastic swords and jousted on the driveway.
From "Breadcrumbs" by Anne Ursu
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
And there's been some verbal jousting in the preamble to Sunday.
From BBC ● Feb. 28, 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
This was some sort of jousting about his home state.
From "The Underground Railroad: A Novel" by Colson Whitehead
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.
