jar

1 of 4

noun (1)

1
: a widemouthed container made typically of earthenware or glass
a pottery jar
a cookie jar
2
: as much as a jar will hold
ate an entire jar of pickles
jarful noun

jar

2 of 4

verb

jarred; jarring

intransitive verb

1
a
: to have a harshly disagreeable or disconcerting effect
The noise jarred on her nerves.
a jarring experience
b
: to make a harsh or discordant sound
winced as the iron gate jarred against the sidewalk
c
: to be out of harmony
a course that jarred with his habitual feelingsGeorge Eliot
specifically : bicker
2
: to undergo severe vibration

transitive verb

: to cause to jar: such as
a
: to affect disagreeably : unsettle
The violent opposition jarred his resolve.
b
: to make unstable or loose : shake
jar the ball free

jar

3 of 4

noun (2)

1
a
: a sudden or unexpected shake
jars and jolts
b
: an unsettling shock
gave her nerves a jar
c
: an unpleasant break or conflict in rhythm, flow, or transition
works persistently, swiftly, without jarSinclair Lewis
2
a
: a state or manifestation of discord or conflict
b
: a harsh grating sound

jar

4 of 4

noun (3)

archaic
: the position of being ajar
usually used in the phrase on the jar

Examples of jar in a Sentence

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
At last year's ceremony, Rodriguez handed Nicole Kidman a jar of Vegemite and took shots with Florence Pugh, Austin Butler, Eva Longoria, Danai Gurira, Hong Chau, David Bradley, John Cho, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Antonio Banderas, Ke Huy Quan and the cast of Top Gun: Maverick, among other celebrities. Tommy McArdle, Peoplemag, 11 Mar. 2024 The lynching memorial, created by the Equal Justice Initiative, is home to hundreds of similar jars of soil from lynching locations all over the country. Joe Heim, Washington Post, 11 Mar. 2024 Along with these riches, the site also revealed evidence of funerary rituals: Researchers found a Roman jar called an amphora that probably held wine to be consumed by funeral attendees. Sonja Anderson, Smithsonian Magazine, 22 Feb. 2024 During that time, mix the remaining ingredients in a 12-ounce Mason jar, shaking to incorporate. 3. Caron Golden, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Feb. 2024 During closing arguments on Thursday, Monica Connell, an attorney with the State Attorney General’s Office, compared the defendants to children caught stealing from a cookie jar. Melissa Chan, NBC News, 16 Feb. 2024 My approach changes depending on the season, with my latest involving a jar of creamy peanut butter and a block of cheese. Eric Kim, New York Times, 21 Feb. 2024 Add the cucumber to the jar and shake to cover all of the slices in the brine. Caron Golden, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Feb. 2024 Purchasing a spatula can help to minimize any extra mess, especially if the cream comes in a jar. Brienne Walsh, Parents, 21 Feb. 2024
Verb
On the morning of the wedding, which was held down the road from Fleming’s Goldeneye estate in Jamaica, the happy couple were jarred awake by the croaking of an unknown bird. James Parker, The Atlantic, 12 Feb. 2024 The juxtaposition here of magical realism and hard realism, jarring at first, is emotionally overpowering. Peter Rainer, The Christian Science Monitor, 22 Feb. 2024 The daughter would not need to be cut out, and the family’s equanimity needn’t be jarred. Martin Shenkman, Forbes, 20 Feb. 2024 The mass killing and ensuing two-day manhunt have jarred this inland area of Maine. Justine McDaniel, Washington Post, 29 Oct. 2023 But the academy was jarred earlier this week by news reports that Mason’s predecessor twice removed — former academy CEO Neil Portnow — is being sued by an unidentified woman musician. George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Nov. 2023 In 2022, when crypto markets stumbled, jarred by the collapse of the Terra-Luna stablecoin and the hedge fund Three Arrows Capital, Bankman-Fried seized on another opportunity to play the hero. WIRED, 28 Sep. 2023 But the neutral stance jarred with the approach adopted by the United States and some European nations – which pushed China for a firmer line. Andrew Latham, The Conversation, 3 Nov. 2023 An intense experience, such as a trip on psychedelics, sometimes can jar a person out of that mental rut, experts say. Linda Carroll, NBC News, 29 Oct. 2023

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.

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle French jarre, from Old Occitan jarra, from Arabic jarra earthen water vessel

Verb and Noun (2)

probably of imitative origin

Noun (3)

alteration of earlier char turn, from Middle English — more at chare

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1592, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1526, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1b

Noun (2)

1537, in the meaning defined at sense 2a

Noun (3)

1674, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of jar was in 1526

Dictionary Entries Near jar

Cite this Entry

“Jar.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/jar. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

jar

1 of 3 verb
jarred; jarring
1
a
: to make a harsh or disagreeable sound
b
: to have a harsh or disagreeable effect
noise that jars the nerves
2
: to cause to vibrate : shake
3
: clash entry 1 sense 2b, conflict
jarring opinions

jar

2 of 3 noun
1
: a harsh sound
2
3
4
: a painful effect : shock

jar

3 of 3 noun
1
: a usually glass or pottery container having a wide mouth
2
: the quantity held by a jar
Etymology

Verb

probably an imitation of the sound made

Noun

from early French jarre "a container with a wide mouth," derived from Arabic jarrah "a pottery water container"

More from Merriam-Webster on jar

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