jostle

verb jos·tle \ ˈjä-səl \

Updated on: 11 Apr 2018

Definition of jostle

jostled; jostling play \ˈjā-s(ə-)liŋ\

intransitive verb

1 a : to come in contact or into collision

a jostling crowd

b : to make one's way by pushing and shoving

people jostling toward the exit

c : to exist in close proximity

2 : to vie in gaining an objective : contend

tribes began to jostle with one another for room
—Daniel Defoe

transitive verb

1 a : to come in contact or into collision with

being jostled by the crowd

b : to force by pushing : elbow

jostled his way through the crowd

c : to stir up : agitate

thunder jostled us awake

d : to exist in close proximity with

Europe, where a number of languages jostle each other
—D. G. Mandelbaum

2 : to vie with in attaining an objective

an enormous industry in which a great many companies and interests jostle each other fiercely
—Washington Post

See jostle defined for English-language learners

See jostle defined for kids

Examples of jostle in a Sentence

Everyone in the crowd was jostling each other trying to get a better view.
everyone glared at the man who jostled to the front of the line

Recent Examples of jostle from the Web

Comcast, Disney and 21st Century Fox are all jostling for U.K. broadcaster Sky.

— stu woo, WSJ, "Fox Says Disney Is Prepared to Buy Sky News in Bid to Allay Regulators," 3 Apr. 2018
The Drummond-Acy confrontation began when both players were jostling for a loose ball.

— vince ellis, Detroit Free Press, "Detroit Pistons' SVG: Michigan lost to 'best team in the country'," 3 Apr. 2018
The sports apparel companies were jostling to outfit varsity teams at the 1,400-student school at the base of Mount Hood.

— joel odom, OregonLive.com, "Notre Dame vs. Mississippi State: TV channel, live stream, score updates for NCAA women's basketball championship," 1 Apr. 2018
But these differing views about data protection cannot jostle for dominance for much longer.

— tom pendergast, WIRED, "The Next Cold War Is Here, and It's All About Data," 28 Mar. 2018
Meanwhile, Klopp hit back at the referee after his side's loss - claiming that the officials denied his team a clear penalty when United midfielder Marouane Fellaini jostled with Sadio Mané in the box.

— SI.com, "Man Utd Boss Claims His Side Joked at Defender's 'Amazing' Own Goal After Crucial Liverpool Victory," 11 Mar. 2018
If those teams can jostle their way into that group, Louisville won't have any losses outside of that top quadrant.

— jeff greer, The Courier-Journal, "Is Louisville basketball on the NCAA Tournament bubble?," 9 Feb. 2018
And though European Central Bank President Mario Draghi doesn’t conclude his time in office until late next year, jostling over his replacement has already begun.

— Fortune, "China Names Yi Gang as Its First New Central Bank Chief in 15 Years," 18 Mar. 2018
As selfie-stick wielding masses jostle in front of the city’s harbor and glass skyline, leaflets attesting to Jesus’ love and eternal redemption are pressed into the hands of mainland tourists.

— Time, "Guerrillas for God: How Hong Kong’s Pastors Are Delivering the Message to China’s Christians," 5 Mar. 2018

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

Origin and Etymology of jostle

alteration of justle, frequentative of ¹joust

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1546

See Words from the same year

jostle Synonyms

Synonyms

bore, bull, bulldoze, crash, elbow, jam, muscle, press, push, shoulder, squeeze;

Related Words

ram, shove, thrust;

jostle

noun

Definition of jostle

1 : the experience of being pushed or jostled (see ¹jostle)

might glide through … life among them without a jostle
—Thomas Jefferson

2 : the state of being crowded or pushed together : the state of being jostled

the state fair is deliberately about the crowds and jostle, the noise and overload of sight and event
—David Foster Wallace

Recent Examples of jostle from the Web

After Allison grabbed the wheel, Martin felt the bus jostle and swerved to the right, off the road.

— emily foxhall, San Antonio Express-News, "Channelview band director hailed as hero in wake of Alabama bus crash," 14 Mar. 2018
The system uses hydraulic stops to help absorb and dissipate energy when the suspension compresses and rebounds, improving ride quality over bumps by limiting the typical jostle of springs and dampers.

— greg fink, Car and Driver, "Prickly Issue: Citroen Makes Its C4 Cactus More Normal," 6 Mar. 2018
These latest quakes were caused by the movement of tectonic plates, the pieces of Earth’s crust that move and jostle against each other.

— maya wei-haas, Smithsonian, "How Mexico City’s Unique Geology Makes Deadly Earthquakes Even Worse," 20 Sep. 2017
These onions go down amid what at times can be a crowded, chaotic scene, in which diners wait for seats and jostle for access to condiment dispensers, trash cans, silverware bins and soda machines.

— matt stiles, latimes.com, "Costco stores in South Korea offer chopped onions for hot dogs. Koreans have a different idea," 19 Sep. 2017
On a Saturday morning, a cluster of college-age women in sequined red-and-green ghagra choli jostle around a selfie stick in the parking lot.

— suman naishadham, Slate Magazine, "The Visa Temple," 3 Apr. 2017
Midway Atoll is just about the furthest piece of land from civilization and its constant engine whir, data and jostle.

— charles p. pierce, Esquire, "The Only Guy Who Predicted 2016 Did It in 380 B.C.," 30 Dec. 2016
The man helplessly bounced the unhappy infant on his lap, but the kid just shrieked louder with each jostle.

— andrew mccarthy, Town & Country, "Baby Boom," 20 Aug. 2013