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

Despite the data providing a jump scare or two, Macquarie’s head of economics, David Doyle, sees some green shoots. —Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 17 Dec. 2025

And horror gives you the jump scares, or even some of the comedy, with really clever storytellers giving you that feeling of getting under your skin. —Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 16 Dec. 2025

Despite the initial jump scare, Wax Jane won our hearts. —Literary Hub, 16 Dec. 2025

As the season closes, the show leaves behind more than jump scares. —Okla Jones, Essence, 15 Dec. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1986, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for jump scare

• abwehr
• affair
• affaire
• airfare
• altair
• armchair
• aware
• beware
• bugbear
• carfare
• childcare
• compare