jabs 1 of 2

plural of jab
as in punches
a quick thrust gave the jellyfish on the beach a cautious jab with my stick

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

jabs

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of jab

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 jabs
Noun
Hosted by Atlanta News First, the hourlong debate was caustic and the jabs often deeply personal. — AJC.com, 9 Oct. 2026 As the Raiders were building their lead, Crosby sacked Mahomes twice and repeatedly took extra jabs at him. — Kansas City Star, 1 Oct. 2026 Pharrell, however, said the jabs didn’t really bother him while also referring to the jewelry as artifacts. — Angel Diaz, Billboard, 29 Sep. 2026 The book, rife with jabs aimed at the royal family and in particular at King Charles III, has caused a firestorm across the Channel and prompted Buckingham Palace to respond publicly. — Séraphine Roger, Vanity Fair, 27 Sep. 2026 Sure, this would be an atmosphere that most of us had never covered before, with ten months of buildup filled with hatred and verbal jabs. — Trey Wallace Outkick, FOXNews.com, 22 Sep. 2026 The scourge of Steve Spurrier Spurrier took too many verbal jabs to list here and took special glee in beating the Dawgs, never forgiving them for beating his Florida Gators in his 1966 senior season, ruining their SEC championship hopes. — The Athletic College Football Staff, New York Times, 16 Sep. 2026 The artist’s body of work includes jabs at consumerism, materialism, logomania and high-low dressing. — Rosemary Feitelberg, Footwear News, 10 Sep. 2026 Inform your wife that the verbal jabs hurt you as much as the physical blows did. — Abigail Van Buren, Mercury News, 2 Sep. 2026
Verb
Rather than immediately running toward his destination on the opposite side of the field, Jefferson jabs at the defender to create even more separation. — Alec Lewis, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026 Vance, El-Sayed exchange jabs over spouse comments The dispute also took a personal turn as the vice president condemned El-Sayed for comments about second lady Usha Vance. — Melina Khan, USA Today, 1 Sep. 2026 To explain this thinking, Lee jabs the New York Mets amid their disappointing MLB season. — Dan Bernstein, Sportico.com, 28 Aug. 2026 Michigan Dem hopeful Abdul El-Sayed jabs CNN giving him 'non-consensual colonoscopy' in recent interviews. — FOXNews.com, 21 July 2026 Donald Trump‘s effort today to praise his new Homeland Security Secretary and defend him from Jimmy Kimmel‘s jabs kind of backfired. — Dominic Patten, Deadline, 26 Mar. 2026 In another moment, long-time rivals Jett and Mane exchange jabs against one another over a livestream as thousands of roarball fans tune in and cheer them on in the comments. — Payton Turkeltaub, Variety, 13 Feb. 2026 Srinivas, who often jabs the search engine giant, made an interesting point. — Reed Albergotti, semafor.com, 3 Oct. 2025 Haggard jabs Baird over mailers The race is already tense. — Kayla Dwyer, IndyStar, 13 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for jabs
Noun
  • The farm offers a punch card to residents for $18 and is good for up to 14 punches or around 21 bags of debris.
    — Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 18 Oct. 2026
  • Hadribeaj attacked the body early, crouching beneath Fundora’s punches and landing looping shots over the top.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 18 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • The sequence culminates in the Great Hall, where Ned kicks part of his broken cane to Colum, who stabs MacKinney in the leg.
    — Max Gao, HollywoodReporter, 5 Oct. 2026
  • But before Bane can finish him off, Batman stabs a Batarang into a little knob on Bane’s wrist gauntlet, the one that controls his intake of Venom.
    — Daniel Dockery, Vulture, 24 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • And for anyone who likes their coastal digs mostly white but not entirely without a little whimsy, the wallpaper might just seal the deal.
    — Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Sophomore Abigail Mullen led USC with 11 kills, four blocks and nine digs.
    — Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 12 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • The incidental findings problem Here is the number that punctures the marketing.
    — Hanna Wickes, Miami Herald, 21 Sep. 2026
  • That’s because when a snake bites and punctures the skin and transfers venom into the victim’s body, the venom attacks the skin, soft tissue and connective tissue beneath it.
    — Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 21 July 2026
Noun
  • At about 17 seconds, the driver’s leg pokes from the car and steps onto the deck of the bridge.
    — Eric Adler, Kansas City Star, 21 July 2026
  • Earlier, authorities blocked access to excerpts of Goktas' show, including pokes at Erdogan, that were uploaded onto social media.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 2 July 2026
Verb
  • That list goes from first-round picks offensive lineman Kadyn Proctor and cornerback Chris Johnson to Day 2 guys such as linebacker Jacob Rodriguez, tight end Will Kacmarek as well as wide receivers Caleb Douglas and Chris Bell.
    — Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 12 Oct. 2026
  • The Rams acquired Garrett in a June trade that sent outside linebacker Jared Verse, a 2027 first-round draft pick and other future picks to the Cleveland Browns.
    — Gary Klein, Los Angeles Times, 10 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • Christmas tree pins have a tiered configuration that compresses rather than pierces the ground (a win for modern synthetic or Mondo tracks).
    — Stacia Datskovska, Footwear News, 10 Sep. 2026
  • An ice sculpture of a heart includes a tube through the ice arrow that pierces the heart.
    — Peter Larsen, Oc Register, 10 July 2026
Verb
  • The right-side fan mount is also covered with a dust filter, which sticks magnetically to the inside of the side panel.
    — Thomas Soderstrom, PC Magazine, 10 Oct. 2026
  • Selfie sticks dangle off every bridge, and tour groups shuffle behind guides waving flags.
    — Mary Holland, Robb Report, 8 Oct. 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Jabs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/jabs. Accessed 19 Oct. 2026.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster