joust

1 of 2

verb

ˈjau̇st 

sometimes

ˈjəst 

or

ˈjüst 

jousted; jousting; jousts

intransitive verb

1

a

: to fight on horseback as a knight or man-at-arms

b

: to engage in combat with lances on horseback

2

: to engage in combat or competition as if in a joust

jousting debaters

jousting bighorn rams

jouster noun

joust

2 of 2

noun

1

a

: a combat on horseback between two knights with lances especially as part of a tournament

b

jousts plural : tournament

2

: a personal combat or competition : struggle

Examples of joust in a Sentence

Verb

The knights jousted against each other.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Here, the afternoon heat meets armpits in the face, bodies jousting for balance, the smell of contest and blank slates (and, yes, a 35C/96F heatwave wafting). —Megan Feringa, New York Times, 3 July 2025

Guthrie, Loeb and Hemingway jousted with one another to gain the attentions of Lady Duff Twysden, who provoked her admirers by flirting with the young matador Ordóñez. —Tony Perrottet, Smithsonian Magazine, 30 June 2025

Noun

The idea was to recreate the original arguments to study the legal theories and the courtroom jousts that shaped landmark decisions. —Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 30 July 2025

Engaged in an involuntary high-speed joust, the two carbon fiber F50s avoided each other by less than a meter. —Andrew Rice, New York Times, 15 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English, from Anglo-French juster to unite, joust, from Vulgar Latin *juxtare, from Latin juxta near; akin to Latin jungere to join — more at yoke

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for joust

• doused
• faust
• oust

Kids Definition

joust

noun

ˈjau̇st

: a combat on horseback between two knights with lances especially as part of a tournament

joust verb

jouster noun