jostle

1 of 2

verb

jos·​tle ˈjä-səl 

jostled; jostling 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

jostle

2 of 2

noun

1

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

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

Synonyms

Verb

• push
• squeeze

Examples of jostle in a Sentence

Verb

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 on the Web

Verb

Instead of people jostling around each other in the hubbub, the street was all but empty. —Norma Galeana, CNN Money, 4 July 2025

The long-term plan comes as Purdue and Indiana University in Indianapolis jostle for position on the west side of downtown following the 2024 split of the two schools' joint urban campus, IUPUI. —Jordan Smith, IndyStar, 2 July 2025

Noun

Beveling the edges of the potatoes with a peeler keeps them from crumbling as the jostle around the simmering pot, but skip it if you’re rushed or impatient. —The New York Times News Service Syndicate, The Denver Post, 27 Jan. 2025

The album jostles between love and war too intensely, though. —Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 26 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Verb and Noun

alteration of justle, frequentative of joust entry 1

First Known Use

Verb

1546, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1a

Noun

1611, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for jostle

• apostle
• colossal
• hydrocele
• nitrosyl
• subbasal
• docile
• fossil
• hypoglossal
• nannofossil

Kids Definition

jostle

1 of 2 verb

jos·​tle ˈjäs-əl 

jostled; jostling -(ə-)liŋ 

1

: to run or knock against so as to jar : push roughly

2

: to make one's way by jostling

jostle

2 of 2 noun

: a jostling blow : shove