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

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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
Tia, on her end, handled the ambush skillfully, parrying jabs without raising her voice to prevent Wendy from having any opening to feign victimization. — Shamira Ibrahim, Vulture, 2 Nov. 2026 The final sprint to Tuesday's midterm elections has kicked up a flurry of headlines about attack ads slung by candidates and verbal jabs thrown by current and former occupants of the White House. — ABC News, 2 Nov. 2026 Mayor Karen Bass and Los Angeles City Councilwoman Nithya Raman traded jabs in new ads and speeches ahead of next week's election. — CBS News, 28 Oct. 2026 With blistering satirical slants and a steady mix of acidic jabs at middle-class life, Darko should be boffo among the teen and young adults segment as well as those viewers still plugged into a sophomoric self-identity. — Duane Byrge, HollywoodReporter, 26 Oct. 2026 Trump also defended himself against Maher’s jabs at his low approval ratings by wildly mischaracterizing CNN’s reporting. — Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 26 Oct. 2026 Between jabs at exes and former teammates, Rodgers rehashed a decade of bad blood with his parents and brothers, Luke and Jordan. — Alejandro Avila Outkick, FOXNews.com, 23 Oct. 2026 For a solid thirty minutes, the candidates defended their honor as the race’s most pro-Israel candidate — at times sneaking in jabs about their opponent. — Lauren Costantino, Miami Herald, 22 Oct. 2026 Hosted by Atlanta News First, the hourlong debate was caustic and the jabs often deeply personal. — AJC.com, 9 Oct. 2026
Verb
The film’s pick-me jabs at humor are frankly, flatly unfunny and grating, twisting the film at times into a perverse, almost self-aware treatise on tweeness. — Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 20 Oct. 2026 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for jabs
Noun
  • The flavor excels because each ingredient punches above its weight.
    — Nina Moskowitz, Bon Appetit Magazine, 8 Nov. 2026
  • Once upon a time, Georgia-Florida was an annual heavyweight fight, two proud programs trading punches and championships while their fans traded insults and cocktails in Jacksonville.
    — Mike Bianchi, The Orlando Sentinel, 31 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • But fearing that Carrie is too powerful and too dangerous, Margaret grabs a sewing needle and stabs Carrie in the ear.
    — Keith Langston, PEOPLE, 8 Oct. 2026
  • 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
Noun
  • Kazmierczak had 60 assists and 4 blocks, senior Kendall Ezell had 23 digs, and sophomore Emerson Lalashuis had 17 kills.
    — Buddy Collings, The Orlando Sentinel, 29 Oct. 2026
  • The new digs will open in the new phase of Westbend shopping center.
    — Ella Gonzales, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 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
  • Injuries to potential top NFL Draft picks OT Trevor Goosby and DE Colin Simmons have hurt Texas, but haven’t held it back.
    — PJ Green November 2, Kansas City Star, 2 Nov. 2026
  • The Chicago Bears traded for All-Pro defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons in a blockbuster move Thursday, sending a package that included two first-round draft picks to the Tennessee Titans.
    — Sean Hammond, Chicago Tribune, 30 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
  • What’s a Jimmy Webb classic where something sticks in your craw?
    — Mikael Wood, Los Angeles Times, 2 Nov. 2026
  • 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

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Cite this Entry

“Jabs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/jabs. Accessed 9 Nov. 2026.

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