jab 1 of 2

as in punch
a quick thrust gave the jellyfish on the beach a cautious jab with my stick

Synonyms & Similar Words

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jab

2 of 2

verb

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of jab
Noun
See footage of Kendrick’s jab at Drake during his opening Grand National Tour set below. Preezy Brown, VIBE.com, 21 Apr. 2025 The constant rummaging and awkward elbow jabs can quickly lead to frustration. Rosie Marder, Travel + Leisure, 12 Apr. 2025
Verb
Others recalled him having stand-up rows, shouting, swearing, and jabbing his finger in the direction of co-workers. Jake Kanter, Deadline, 9 Apr. 2025 The law has long recognized that attorneys should feel free to punch and jab their opponent with threats and intimidation to try to resolve a dispute before filing a lawsuit, because court dockets are jammed with cases and tough talk can help clear the deck. Bill Hochberg, Forbes.com, 9 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for jab
Recent Examples of Synonyms for jab
Noun
  • When more officers got to the scene, while officers held Nichols' arms and hit him with a barrage of kicks, punches, baton strikes and pepper spray.
    Jack Armstrong, USA Today, 2 May 2025
  • Thunderstorms could arrive in two waves in some of these areas, with each round packing its own serious punch.
    Mary Gilbert, CNN Money, 28 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • But when that program was repealed, Maria was forced to send her daughter to the local public school where, recently, three students were charged with stabbing, running over, and burning a fellow student.
    Matt Robison, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 May 2025
  • He was also suspected in a different stabbing several weeks ago in Bridgeport.
    Joseph Wilkinson, New York Daily News, 1 May 2025
Noun
  • With the right toe poke, the forward found the back of the net for the game’s lone goal.
    Asli Pelit, New York Times, 20 Apr. 2025
  • While our eyes and ears each process information related to light or sound, touch concerns a smorgasbord of stimuli, including pokes, pulls, puffs, caresses and vibrations, as well as a range of temperatures and chemicals, such as capsaicin in chili peppers or menthol in mint.
    Ariel Bleicher, Quanta Magazine, 16 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • The trip to Paris ended in defeat and while the return leg at Villa Park conjured up both a win and one of the best games of the season, Villa’s European dreams were punctured by Luis Enrique’s men.
    Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 24 Apr. 2025
  • The plotline’s matter-of-fact profanity at once punctured any sense of simplistic morality and underlined that world events always coexist with everyday indignities.
    Alison Herman, Variety, 17 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Nothing but quick and shocking outbursts of violence can pierce the movie’s surfaces of overheated restraint.
    Richard Brody, New Yorker, 28 Apr. 2025
  • Graham Hoffman, 29, was transporting a patient following a routine medical call from police on Sunday when he was stabbed in the chest, piercing his heart.
    Lucia I Suarez Sang, CBS News, 28 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • The toppings really make the dish here—pick your favorites!
    Elizabeth Nelson, Southern Living, 27 Apr. 2025
  • Steelers’ draft picks Picks will be updated throughout the 2025 NFL Draft, April 24–26.
    Mike DeFabo, New York Times, 27 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • No calibration, no camera… just plug, stick, and go.
    Paul Lamkin, Forbes.com, 30 Apr. 2025
  • Ukraine has said its ready for peace but a sticking point in talks has been the Russian annexation of Crimea.
    Hannah Parry, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Apr. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Jab.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/jab. Accessed 6 May. 2025.

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