jump cut

noun

Updated on: 15 Mar 2018

Definition of jump cut

: a sudden often jarring cut from one shot or scene to another without intervening devices (such as fade-outs); broadly : an abrupt transition (as in a narrative)

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jump-cut

play \ˈjəmp-ˌkət\ verb

Recent Examples of jump cut from the Web

Add sometimes amaze 'em football, too, given his dazzling jump cuts.

— bill livingston, cleveland.com, "Rating Saquon Barkley as possible Cleveland Browns' No. 1 draft pick: Bill Livingston," 7 Mar. 2018
The series delves into Lynchian surrealism and opts for unsettling anguish over jump cuts.

— andrew r. chow, New York Times, "What’s on TV Wednesday: ‘Big Brother’ and ‘Queer Eye’," 7 Feb. 2018
Raskin had the editor use fast cuts and jump cuts to fit pieces together.

— marc freeman, The Hollywood Reporter, "'Laugh-In' at 50: How the Comedy Helped Elect Nixon and Set the Stage for 'SNL'," 22 Jan. 2018
The German-language video opens on a woman rifling through letters and personal memorabilia, and the sound of shuffling papers feels frenetic given how closely the jump cuts are spliced together.

— caitlin kelley, Billboard, "HA:TFELT Returns After Wonder Girls Split With 'I Wander' & 'Read Me' Videos," 12 Oct. 2017
During the glitchy opening, the sound of static plays over frenzied jump cuts.

— caitlin kelley, Billboard, "Fletcher Delivers a Bittersweet Kiss-Off With Brooding 'You Should Talk' Video," 25 Oct. 2017
Familiar faces like Danny Trejo and LeBron James appear within the abrupt jump cuts.

— caitlin kelley, Billboard, "Thirty Seconds to Mars Tease Upcoming Documentary With Politically Charged Video for 'Walk on Water'," 8 Nov. 2017
The scene is subtly jarring, as jump cuts and close-ups haven't been crucial to the movie's visual grammar up until this point.

— ben sachs, Chicago Reader, "Film / Poverty How The Florida Project works wonders with cinematic time," 20 Oct. 2017
The year started with Harris' quick jump cut for a 11-yard touchdown that effectively sealed the win over Florida State.

— michael casagrande, AL.com, "Why Damien Harris' big season about more than dropping a few pounds," 17 Oct. 2017

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