jack

noun

\ ˈjak

plural jacks

Definition of jack

(Entry 1 of 2)

1a jacks plural in form but singular in construction : a game played with a set of small objects that are tossed, caught, and moved in various figures

b : a small 6-pointed metal object used in the game of jacks

2a : a playing card carrying the figure of a soldier or servant and ranking usually below the queen

b : jackpot sense 1b(2)

3 : any of various usually mechanical devices: such as

a : a usually portable mechanism or device for exerting pressure or lifting a heavy body a short distance

b : a device for turning a spit

4 : a female fitting in an electric circuit used with a plug to make a connection with another circuit

5a : man —usually used as an intensive in such phrases as every man jack

b often capitalized : sailor

c(1) : servant, laborer

(2) : lumberjack

6 : something that supports or holds in position: such as

a : an iron bar at a topgallant masthead to support a royal mast and spread the royal shrouds

b : a wooden brace fastened behind a scenic unit in a stage set to prop it up

7a : any of several fishes especially : any of various carangids

b : a male donkey

c : jackrabbit

d : any of several birds (such as a jackdaw)

8a : a small white target ball in lawn bowling

b : a small national flag flown by a ship

9 slang : money

10a : applejack

b : brandy

11 : jackknife sense 2

12 : monterey jack

13 US slang : anything at all —used in negative constructions In short, Dinger or Homer or whoever it was who wrote the Odyssey didn't know jack about travel.— Steve Rushin

jack

verb

jacked; jacking; jacks

Definition of jack (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

1a : to move or lift by or as if by a jack

b : to raise the level of —usually used with up jack up the price

c : to take to task

2 : to hunt or fish for at night with a jacklight

intransitive verb

: to hunt or fish at night with a jacklight

Other Words from jack Synonyms Example Sentences Learn More about jack

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Synonyms for jack

Synonyms: Noun

bread [slang], bucks, cabbage [slang], cash, change, chips, coin, currency, dough, gold, green, kale [slang], legal tender, lolly [British], long green [slang], loot, lucre, money, moola (or moolah) [slang], needful, pelf, scratch [slang], shekels (also sheqels), tender, wampum

Examples of jack in a Sentence

Noun

I'd buy that watch, but I don't have the jack right now. a Portuguese ship flying the national jack

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

To say Selena Gomez is a jack-of-all-trades would be an understatement. — Jennifer Lance, Glamour, "Selena Gomez Gave the Sweetest Toast at Her Bodyguard's Wedding," 5 May 2019 Apple is no longer selling the iPhone X or the iPhone SE and 6s, which means iPhones with headphone jacks are now extinct. — Araceli Cruz, Teen Vogue, "iPhone X No Longer Available on Apple’s Website," 13 Sep. 2018 Even just doing some basic jumping jacks or doing some slow mountain climbers is better than nothing. — SELF, "Full-Body Strength Push," 28 Apr. 2019 An oil pump jack pumps oil in a field near Calgary, Canada. — Christopher Alessi, WSJ, "Oil Jumps Amid Volatile Market Activity," 28 Dec. 2018 The mic jack is a nod to musicians and likely YouTubers who prefer very high-end microphones. — Gordon Mah Ung, PCWorld, "Exclusive first look: Creative Labs' high-end Sound BlasterX AE-9 breaks cover," 8 Dec. 2018 Like it or not, Apple is removing the headphone jack from the new 11-inch and 12.9-inch iPad Pros. — Stefan Etienne, The Verge, "The new iPad Pro doesn’t have a headphone jack," 30 Oct. 2018 As the sun rose over the school, a pump jack extracted oil from the earth beneath the classrooms, a mechanical hum filling the air. — Moriah Balingit, Washington Post, "‘It just hurts my heart’: Low pay, big classes are the plight of Oklahoma teachers," 30 Mar. 2018 With the headphone jack gone, there will only be one place to plug everything in. — Eric Limer, Popular Mechanics, "The iPhone Is Losing Its Headphone Jack But You'll Be Fine," 1 Sep. 2016

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Should Fekir have a strong tournament, more clubs could come in for the man set to replace Philippe Coutinho, and Lyon could easily jack up his price tag. — SI.com, "Liverpool Desperate to Tie Down Wantaway Midfielder Nabil Fekir Before the World Cup Starts," 29 May 2018 Both are in total beast mode, jacked up and hulked out, ready to pop off at a moment’s notice. — Katie Walsh, Detroit Free Press, "Review: Details bog down ‘Den of Thieves’," 18 Jan. 2018 Find your jacking point (usually just behind the front wheel opening at the front, and just ahead of the rear wheel opening at the rear) and jack the car up. — Ezra Dyer, Popular Mechanics, "How to Rotate Your Tires," 13 Dec. 2018 In this case that meant the likes of feather-light cakes of local Jonah crabmeat, bound with artichoke, and jacked up with tangy celeriac slaw. — Alexandra Hall, BostonGlobe.com, "At the heart of Woodfords Corner’s revival is this: ‘You don’t get very many opportunities in life to do what you really believe in’," 26 June 2018 But when a character put the headset on and entered another character’s consciousness, the aspect ratio widen to 70mm and the frame rate would jack up to 60: Everything would seem bigger, crisper, hyperreal. — Eleanor Hildebrandt, Popular Mechanics, "The True Story of the Lost Sci-Fi Movie "Brainstorm," Natalie Wood’s Last Film," 21 Dec. 2018 Taxi drivers won’t rip you off, and no one will jack up the price at a restaurant or shop. — Sarah Souli, Condé Nast Traveler, "Kosovo Is an All-Night Party—And Shows No Signs of Slowing Down," 26 Oct. 2018 Adding sweeteners, cream, and other mix-ins can quickly jack up the total. — Caroline Picard, Good Housekeeping, "21 Surprising Coffee Facts That Will Perk Up Your Afternoon," 3 Dec. 2018 Shaft drive on some motorcycles can produce a clunky, jacking effect in the driveline, but the Ryker was easy. — Ben Stewart, Popular Mechanics, "8 Cool Things About the Can-Am Ryker," 13 Nov. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'jack.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.