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

Armstrong even sneaked ahead and pulled off a proper jump scare as himself, pointing out a mirror that created a hiding spot for performers. — Rodney Ho, AJC.com, 18 Sep. 2026

Cregger doesn’t deal exclusively in jump scares, but there are a couple of doozies in that department. — Jesse Hassenger, Vulture, 17 Sep. 2026

There are plenty of jump scares, to be sure, but also hilarious moments that play like deadpan one-liners rendered in visual terms. — Frank Scheck, HollywoodReporter, 16 Sep. 2026

But Paranormal Activity is more than just a string of elaborate jump scares. — Dave Quinn, PEOPLE, 26 Aug. 2026

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