as in stabs
to penetrate or hold (something) with a pointed object
jabbed a pickle and tossed it on the plate
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of jabs
Brendan Morrow, USA Today, 18 Feb. 2026
Some on social media have been quick to point out the delays in finding Guthrie, taking sometimes-subtle jabs at law enforcement.
—Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 18 Feb. 2026
Ilia Malinin playfully threw a couple of jabs at a TV camera while skating off the ice Tuesday night, the pressure of his first Olympics having seemingly vanished after a team gold medal and a near-perfect short program to begin the men’s competition.
—Dave Skretta, Chicago Tribune, 10 Feb. 2026
But the efforts to reclaim the name belonging to one of the nation's most famous political families haven't been without eyerolls and jabs from candidates in the crowded March primary who say Jackson had his chance in a district plagued by political corruption.
—CBS News, 5 Feb. 2026
In addition to OpenAI running an ad, its competitor Anthropic is airing its first Super Bowl commercial about its Claude system and lobbing jabs at OpenAI about its addition of ads into ChatGPT.
—Sharon Goldman, Fortune, 5 Feb. 2026
The Chicago Cubs started the fall with some jabs, signing a handful of relievers to create a deeper bullpen.
—Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 28 Jan. 2026
Upon announcing Threads, Zuckerberg took jabs at Musk on X, posting the meme of two identical Spider-Mans pointing at one another.
—Conor Murray, Forbes.com, 16 Jan. 2026
Throughout the outage, T-Mobile and AT&T took jabs at their competitor on social media, while also touching on why some of their customers might be encountering issues.
—David Chiu, PEOPLE, 15 Jan. 2026
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
His finger jabs on the second-to-last page, at the postscript.
—Megan Spurrell, Condé Nast Traveler, 5 Feb. 2025
Noun
But Colbert also hasn't shied away from taking jabs at CBS.
—Brendan Morrow, USA Today, 18 Feb. 2026
Some on social media have been quick to point out the delays in finding Guthrie, taking sometimes-subtle jabs at law enforcement.
—Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 18 Feb. 2026
Ilia Malinin playfully threw a couple of jabs at a TV camera while skating off the ice Tuesday night, the pressure of his first Olympics having seemingly vanished after a team gold medal and a near-perfect short program to begin the men’s competition.
—Dave Skretta, Chicago Tribune, 10 Feb. 2026
But the efforts to reclaim the name belonging to one of the nation's most famous political families haven't been without eyerolls and jabs from candidates in the crowded March primary who say Jackson had his chance in a district plagued by political corruption.
—CBS News, 5 Feb. 2026
In addition to OpenAI running an ad, its competitor Anthropic is airing its first Super Bowl commercial about its Claude system and lobbing jabs at OpenAI about its addition of ads into ChatGPT.
—Sharon Goldman, Fortune, 5 Feb. 2026
The Chicago Cubs started the fall with some jabs, signing a handful of relievers to create a deeper bullpen.
—Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 28 Jan. 2026
Upon announcing Threads, Zuckerberg took jabs at Musk on X, posting the meme of two identical Spider-Mans pointing at one another.
—Conor Murray, Forbes.com, 16 Jan. 2026
Throughout the outage, T-Mobile and AT&T took jabs at their competitor on social media, while also touching on why some of their customers might be encountering issues.
—David Chiu, PEOPLE, 15 Jan. 2026
Verb
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
His finger jabs on the second-to-last page, at the postscript.
—Megan Spurrell, Condé Nast Traveler, 5 Feb. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for jabs
Noun
-
After ensuring the donor area is properly numbed, the medical team will remove individual hair grafts one by one with tiny punches.—
Ethan Stone,
USA Today,
20 Feb. 2026
-
Through punches and pummeling, cheating and cursing, their bond remained (mostly) intact.—
Jillian Sederholm,
Entertainment Weekly,
20 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Bautista stabs and shoots his assailants in an operatic eruption of violence that is done in a single, extended shot.—
Brent Lang,
Variety,
5 Feb. 2026
-
Milo tries to be a hero, trying to use pepper spray on Morgan, but Morgan stabs and kills him.—
Barry Levitt,
Time,
21 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Cole Ferris had 11 digs, while Dylan Santillan-Haggerty added 23 assists and 4 digs.—
Johnny Gorches,
The Orlando Sentinel,
25 Feb. 2026
-
Don’t let the term ‘first flat’ fool you—Diana’s early digs were anything but shabby.—
Bailey Bujnosek,
InStyle,
23 Feb. 2026
Verb
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But Anderson punctures his weed haze with the bright light of a past that in actuality never dimmed, when Lockjaw begins to hunt Pat and Willa.—
Angelica Jade Bastién,
Vulture,
24 Nov. 2025
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Recounting his visit with Shelton’s body after she’d been taken off of life support in From Bleak to Dark, Maron punctures the somber scene with a joke about taking a selfie.—
Mikey O'Connell,
HollywoodReporter,
13 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Pepsi has for decades taken pokes at rival Coke in an endless array of commercials, but this time, the youth-skewing cola company really means business.—
Brian Steinberg,
Variety,
29 Jan. 2026
-
A lot of times, these hot-button issues that are pressed, those little pokes, are more nuanced than they’re portrayed.—
Jackie Strause,
HollywoodReporter,
19 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Sometimes, in the schoolyard picks before scrimmages, Bird wasn’t selected at all.—
Keith O'Brien,
Rolling Stone,
22 Feb. 2026
-
These picks make getting ready for bed feel like a part of the itinerary.—
Julia Morlino,
Travel + Leisure,
22 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Because of the way the director works, emotions tend to be more discussed than felt, although there’s something about Carla’s desperation that pierces through all the soberness.—
Jordan Mintzer,
HollywoodReporter,
17 Feb. 2026
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Nothing that pierces the skin should ever be used as leverage over a child's opportunity to education and to learn.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
12 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
Heathcliff sticks his fingers in a broken egg, Cathy watches her servants enjoying a BDSM moment in the stables while Heathcliff covers her mouth and eyes.—
Meg Walters,
Glamour,
16 Feb. 2026
-
Progress sticks when compassion ensures that everyone gets heard.—
Tarot.com,
New York Daily News,
6 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Jabs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/jabs. Accessed 26 Feb. 2026.
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