1
as in shook
to make a series of small irregular or violent movements
the roller coaster car jerked and jolted as it coursed along the old wooden tracks
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in jerked
to move or cause to move with a sharp quick motion
she jolted the door open with her elbow
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in shocked
to cause an unpleasant surprise for
the sneak terrorist attack jolted the country out of its indolence and indifference
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of jolted
Then, amid the noise, athletic director Chris McIntosh jolted the fan base by declaring that Fickell would return in 2026 — even as the Badgers sat 2-6 with an offense ranked 134th of 136 nationally.
—
Ira Gorawara, New York Times, 9 Nov. 2025
He was jolted out of his reverie by a whiff of guano in the breeze.
—Ben McGrath, New Yorker, 3 Nov. 2025
The rapidly worsening dynamics seem to have jolted lawmakers on Capitol Hill, who after weeks of stalemate have started to take back-channel negotiations about potential shutdown off-ramps more seriously.
—Zachary Schermele, USA Today, 30 Oct. 2025
Those new Canada tariffs jolted free-trade Republicans, prompting Democrats to force a series of tariff votes.
—Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 28 Oct. 2025
The largest hotels in Oakland and San Jose have been jolted by loan failures and foreclosures this year.
—George Avalos, Mercury News, 24 Oct. 2025
April’s export controls may have jolted us.
—Young Kim, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Oct. 2025
Slower rotators, the researchers found, are more easily jolted into a wobble by impacts, while faster ones resist those disturbances, according to the statement.
—Sharmila Kuthunur, Space.com, 13 Oct. 2025
Passengers expecting speedy layovers and smooth transitions in some major cities have been jolted by unexpected delays or cancellations.
—Ashleigh Fields, The Hill, 8 Oct. 2025
Ira Gorawara, New York Times, 9 Nov. 2025
He was jolted out of his reverie by a whiff of guano in the breeze.
—Ben McGrath, New Yorker, 3 Nov. 2025
The rapidly worsening dynamics seem to have jolted lawmakers on Capitol Hill, who after weeks of stalemate have started to take back-channel negotiations about potential shutdown off-ramps more seriously.
—Zachary Schermele, USA Today, 30 Oct. 2025
Those new Canada tariffs jolted free-trade Republicans, prompting Democrats to force a series of tariff votes.
—Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 28 Oct. 2025
The largest hotels in Oakland and San Jose have been jolted by loan failures and foreclosures this year.
—George Avalos, Mercury News, 24 Oct. 2025
April’s export controls may have jolted us.
—Young Kim, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Oct. 2025
Slower rotators, the researchers found, are more easily jolted into a wobble by impacts, while faster ones resist those disturbances, according to the statement.
—Sharmila Kuthunur, Space.com, 13 Oct. 2025
Passengers expecting speedy layovers and smooth transitions in some major cities have been jolted by unexpected delays or cancellations.
—Ashleigh Fields, The Hill, 8 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for jolted
Verb
-
And Tagovailoa shook off that early interception with a 9-yard scoring pass to Malik Washington — capping a ferocious seven-minute, 92-yard drive — and then a 38-yard TD strike to Jaylen Waddle.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
9 Nov. 2025
-
Miller finished with 129 yards on 18 carries, while Jayden Maiava shook off a poor day throwing the ball with 62 yards and a touchdown on 11 attempts.—
Ben Verbrugge,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Allen, who is 6 foot 5 and 237 pounds, jerked his head back in an effort to draw a roughing penalty on Bolton.—
Pete Grathoff,
Kansas City Star,
3 Nov. 2025
-
Travis jerked open the door and slid on his butt down a wing that was on fire.—
Gillian Telling,
PEOPLE,
20 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
During a recent clean-out, I was shocked by the various levels of color saturation in my stack of black jeans.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
Southern Living,
8 Nov. 2025
-
But the podcast also shocked me.—
Eli Thompson,
Rolling Stone,
8 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Earth shuddered with yet another wave of extinctions in this initial chill.—
Peter Brannen,
Quanta Magazine,
15 Sep. 2025
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For much of last season, Atletico appeared set to seriously compete on all fronts, but their season shuddered to a stop in March with a series of disappointing defeats by Barcelona and Madrid across La Liga, Copa del Rey and the Champions League.—
Dermot Corrigan,
New York Times,
15 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Just as the video began, a man identified as Justin Calhoon, 19, lunged across the table, yanked it toward him and flipped it on its side while Turning Point materials spilled onto the pavement.—
Peter D'Abrosca,
FOXNews.com,
6 Nov. 2025
-
While the Russian threatened to make history against Chicago just two nights earlier—he’d reached the 894 mark before the Blackhawks yanked their goalie—Ovechkin apparently wasn’t interested in breaking the record by way of an empty net.—
Anthony Crupi,
Sportico.com,
30 Oct. 2025
Verb
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There would have been people who were appalled by what was going on.—
James Frater,
CNN Money,
31 Oct. 2025
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That this face was his appalled him more.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
23 Oct. 2025
Verb
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As the meeting was ending, Vande Kolk’s cellphone vibrated.—
Jamie Thompson,
The Atlantic,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
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When he was sacked amid boardroom disputes in September, owner Evangelos Marinakis lurched in another direction.—
Jacob Whitehead,
New York Times,
10 Nov. 2025
-
Instead of taking a low profile and playing down any claims to Taiwan’s independent status like his more cautious DPP predecessor Tsai Ying-wen, Lai has lurched toward formal independence with a succession of speeches making the case for Taiwanese nationhood.—
Lyle Goldstein,
Time,
23 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Jolted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/jolted. Accessed 14 Nov. 2025.
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