How to Use just in a Sentence

just

1 of 2 adjective
  • They got their just punishment for the crime.
  • The college treated the allegation with just seriousness.
  • All in the cause of the just price, all in the name of David.
    Christian Lorentzen, Harper's Magazine, 18 Aug. 2020
  • The rail workers’ union canceled the strike with just hours to spare.
    Dominic Green, Washington Examiner, 12 Jan. 2024
  • And over time the rhinestones all turned a green color from just age.
    Emily Strohm, Peoplemag, 6 Apr. 2023
  • And the pumpkin spice craze doesn't end at just coffee.
    Endia Fontanez, The Arizona Republic, 22 Aug. 2023
  • The chalk finish means this pick can be cleaned with just soap and water.
    Addie Morton, Better Homes & Gardens, 2 May 2023
  • And those words, in the process, abandon hope that his death might lead to a more just world.
    Megan Garber, The Atlantic, 2 June 2020
  • There’s many things that need to take place, beyond just prayer.
    al, 1 June 2020
  • Manny Machado reeled it in just feet from the foul pole.
    Sam Blum, Dallas News, 20 Aug. 2020
  • It’s not the just pill-and-hole that’s impacting screen size.
    Chris Smith, BGR, 11 May 2022
  • The best genre stories are about more than the just monster that lives under your bed.
    Kelly Lawler, USA TODAY, 8 Aug. 2020
  • In a just world, this will be the mafia saga by which all other comers would be judged.
    Andy Meek, BGR, 16 Sep. 2022
  • But there might be more than just symbolism in play here.
    BostonGlobe.com, 19 Dec. 2019
  • In just moments, kids can slip away and fall into the water.
    Fox News, 7 Mar. 2023
  • That is not supposed to happen in a just and fair court system.
    Charles Tiefer, Forbes, 5 June 2021
  • From this, a more just and beautiful new world will be born.
    Stella Kalinina, Smithsonian Magazine, 24 May 2022
  • The Ravens were unlucky not to recover the fumble just yards from the goal line.
    Jonas Shaffer, baltimoresun.com, 14 Oct. 2020
  • In a just world, finding these converts wouldn’t be too hard.
    Angela Watercutter, Wired, 21 Oct. 2021
  • This is an easy way to create height and visual variance with just books.
    oregonlive, 12 Dec. 2020
  • Hashmall said the deputy took photos of more than just bodies.
    Elizabeth Wolfe, CNN, 11 Aug. 2022
  • The gradient between those with feet of snow and those with just inches will be very tight.
    Adrienne Vogt, CNN, 18 Nov. 2022
  • The demonstration was made up of more than just students, signs and speeches.
    CBS News, 21 Apr. 2018
  • Few politicians risk losing their next election to take the high ground of just action.
    Joseph Epstein, WSJ, 5 Aug. 2022
  • The just man is happier than the unjust man, even when he is being tortured on the rack.
    Nikhil Krishnan, The New Yorker, 9 May 2022
  • Some foster parents might just take teenagers, or maybe just girls or just boys.
    Kate Wehr, Good Housekeeping, 4 June 2019
  • How this place was still open and why a 3-year-old is now dead just blows my mind.
    Breanna Edwards, The Root, 10 Aug. 2017
  • This is monstrous behavior that in a just world would not have been allowed to go on for decades.
    Laura Bradley, vanityfair.com, 10 Oct. 2017
  • Each of these larger-than-life icons started with just service in mind.
    Mark Curnutte, Cincinnati.com, 26 Jan. 2020
  • Santas can no longer rely on just word-of-mouth for their business.
    Bob Shaw, Twin Cities, 15 Dec. 2019
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just

2 of 2 adverb
  • The store has just the tool you need.
  • He was just here a minute ago.
  • This shirt fits just right.
  • I arrived just in time to see him win.
  • She called him a liar and told him he was just like all the other men she'd met.
  • I was just going to telephone you!
  • You have to accept me just as I am.
  • She had just returned when he entered.
  • She's just finishing a letter, and she'll be with you shortly.
  • That's just what I expected.
  • The idea is to just take some time away from your work and recharge.
    Michelle Gross, Vogue, 26 Dec. 2017
  • The woohoo-ing and the yippee ki-yays – just don't do it.
    Christopher Brito, CBS News, 6 Mar. 2023
  • The band has just a few months to find a new guitarist.
    Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 17 Jan. 2024
  • Let’s save us all some time and just go straight to a shootout.
    Martin Rogers, USA TODAY, 8 July 2018
  • From the get go there seemed to be just one special girl.
    Brittany Talarico, PEOPLE.com, 16 Mar. 2022
  • His absence leaves a hole not just on the field but off.
    John Shea, SFChronicle.com, 10 July 2020
  • So the idea was to man up everywhere and just to be spare in the back.
    Theo MacKie, The Arizona Republic, 21 Apr. 2022
  • The leaves all seem to be on the same branch rather than just older or younger leaves.
    oregonlive, 1 Apr. 2023
  • The film is wild and raucous and bloody and fun, just like the riding was then.
    Heather Hansman, Outside Online, 12 July 2018
  • The net of that was to just be yourself — and don’t try to please people.
    Ariana Romero, refinery29.com, 4 Jan. 2021
  • The game was over, and things were just getting started.
    Mark Heim | Mheim@al.com, al, 27 Jan. 2022
  • The woo-hooing and the yippee-ki-yay’s — just don’t do it.
    Variety, NBC News, 6 Mar. 2023
  • The woo-hooing and the yippee-ki-yay's — just don't do it.
    Vanessa Etienne, Peoplemag, 6 Mar. 2023
  • And yet, most of us are just trying to get through this thing called life.
    Aric Jenkins, Fortune, 16 Dec. 2020
  • Liam is the number one name for boys this year, just like last year.
    Caitlin O'Kane, CBS News, 10 Nov. 2021
  • Some of them just don’t want to (be trained to possess firearms).
    Gabriella Paiella, The Cut, 19 Mar. 2018
  • This is just like those first few episodes with no Glenn.
    Stephen English, star-telegram, 4 Nov. 2017
  • In fact, just ask for a tortilla and a cup of that sauce and call it dinner.
    Jenn Harris Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 12 Sep. 2021
  • When patting your weave just isn't enough, reach for the big guns.
    Nerisha Penrose, ELLE, 10 Sep. 2022
  • That should make for the perfect chair for just about anyone over time.
    Brittany Vincent, CNN Underscored, 3 Dec. 2020

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'just.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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