jump scare

noun

variants or less commonly jump-scare

ˈjəmp-ˌsker

or jumpscare

plural jump scares also jump-scares or jumpscares

: a scripted moment (as in a film or video game) intended to startle the audience

The biggest jolts in "The Omen" … come from conventionally staged jump scares, where a nasty image suddenly flashes on the screen accompanied by a startling sound effect.—

Li Wang

… differentiates itself from other VR [=virtual reality] horror games by not resorting to cheap jump-scares, instead flexing its brilliant visuals to build an atmospheric sense of foreboding.—

Chris Button

Examples of jump scare in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web But others like to take things a step further and actually immerse themselves in he scariest haunted houses, which pretty much feels like being on a live-action set of a horror film, complete with gory decor, spine-chilling jump scares and Hollywood-like animatronics. —

Brittany Anas, Forbes, 23 Oct. 2024 The jump scares that rarely come in the first half are more frequent in the second, and its overall tone is more in line with what audiences might expect from Blumhouse productions like the Insidious franchise, rather than the more high school horror bend of the main premise. —

Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 22 Oct. 2024 Beware, this one is for those who prefer haunted houses and jump scares to pumpkin patches. —

Kate Murphy, Axios, 17 Oct. 2024 The game, available on Steam, utilizes jump scares and other creepy elements to frighten players. —

The Indianapolis Star, 16 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for jump scare

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