jar

1 of 4

noun (1)

ˈjär

Synonyms of jar next

: a widemouthed container made typically of earthenware or glass

a pottery jar

a cookie jar

: as much as a jar will hold

ate an entire jar of pickles

jarful

ˈjär-ˌfu̇l

noun

jar

2 of 4

verb

jarred; jarring

intransitive verb

: to have a harshly disagreeable or disconcerting effect

The noise jarred on her nerves.

a jarring experience

: to make a harsh or discordant sound

winced as the iron gate jarred against the sidewalk

: to be out of harmony

a course that jarred with his habitual feelings—

George Eliot

specifically : bicker

: to undergo severe vibration

transitive verb

: to cause to jar: such as

: to affect disagreeably : unsettle

The violent opposition jarred his resolve.

: to make unstable or loose : shake

jar the ball free

jar

3 of 4

noun (2)

: a sudden or unexpected shake

jars and jolts

: an unsettling shock

gave her nerves a jar

: an unpleasant break or conflict in rhythm, flow, or transition

works persistently, swiftly, without jar—

Sinclair Lewis

: a state or manifestation of discord or conflict

: a harsh grating sound

jar

4 of 4

noun (3)

archaic

: the position of being ajar

—usually used in the phrase on the jar

Example Sentences

Verb The loss jarred his confidence in the team. The earthquake jarred the tiles loose. The tiles jarred loose in the earthquake.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

He was disciplined, but less than a week later, in a boys’ restroom, students found a bird’s head in a jar. —

Anna Clark, ProPublica, 14 May 2023 But according to Deadline, questions were already written in advance of the strike, so Jennings won't yet need to resort to quizzing contestants on how many jellybeans are in a jar. —

Brendan Morrow, The Week, 11 May 2023 Let cool and keep any leftovers in a sealed glass jar in your fridge for up to a month. —

Keith Pandolfi, The Enquirer, 5 May 2023 The company offers jars of mallows in a wide range of hues. —

Morgan Lyle, Field & Stream, 25 Apr. 2023 Remove plastic or metal lids from glass jars and bottles. —

Maria Marabito, Treehugger, 6 Apr. 2023 Spray-paint ceramic eggs in colors to match your home decor (or save time by purchasing colored ceramic eggs) and add the eggs to a glass jar or bowl. —

Sarah Martens, Better Homes & Gardens, 29 Mar. 2023 Marcel now stocks malabi in small Mason jars with the berry sauce included. —

Jessica Stolzberg, Washington Post, 24 Mar. 2023 The tour is free but donation jars will be set out at the gardens to support the Sheepfold, a crisis center for women and children in Orange that has long been the beneficiary of the foundation’s annual tours. —

Jeanette Marantos, Los Angeles Times, 21 Mar. 2023

Verb

On fourth down in the City Section Open Division championship game Saturday night, San Pedro free safety Robert Sarmiento surged forward with all his might and hit 6-foot-5 Arlis Boardingham in the ribs with his helmet, trying to jar the ball loose in the second quarter. —

Eric Sondheimer Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 27 Nov. 2021 For many, the invitation jars awkwardly with reality: There are more questions hanging over the new monarch and indeed the Windsor family itself than at any point in living memory. —

Leila Sackur, NBC News, 6 May 2023 In the Caribbean, especially, the spectacular display of pageantry in London will jar with growing calls to sever all ties with the monarchy. —

USA TODAY, 5 May 2023 Hinterhaus Productions//Getty Images Living through a natural disaster or near-death experience can jar you into a state of shock and lead you to face your mortality, Kennedy says. —

Erica Sweeney, Men's Health, 25 Apr. 2023 Despite standard adaptive dampers and smaller 18-inch wheels, the Luxury Line's suspension often jarred over imperfections, even in the soft Comfort mode. —

Mike Duff, Car and Driver, 29 Mar. 2023 Hearing her refer to my mom so intimately jarred me. —

Hazlitt, 6 June 2022 Those are concerns that senior White House officials dispute, noting in this case that Biden signed off on the counter-proposal and viewed a half-trillion reduction in his topline not as a final offer but as a way to jar loose a significant shift on the part of the Senate GOP group. —

Phil Mattingly And Lauren Fox, CNN, 24 May 2021 This struggle begins to play out even from the plane, as the players strategize and maneuver over how to announce the world-jarring news that Logan Roy, the once-powerful media titan, is dead. —

Bryan Alexander, USA TODAY, 10 Apr. 2023 See More

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