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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of jolted
Severe thunderstorm warning alerts jolted the phones of people all around Kansas City on Saturday night.
—
Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 15 June 2026
That morning coffee that once jolted you awake now barely registers.
—Samantha Agate, Charlotte Observer, 13 June 2026
They might be jolted awake with a pounding heart, multiple times a night, for years.
—Joanna Fong-Isariyawongse, The Conversation, 11 June 2026
Its closure has jolted the world economy.
—Marlene Lenthang, NBC news, 7 June 2026
Its closure has jolted the world economy.
—Bassem Mroue, Los Angeles Times, 4 June 2026
Kids jolted into action, performing feats of cardio that would have adults needing a lie-down.
—Veronique Greenwood, Time, 29 May 2026
And yet, each is playing with desperation to make an impact — and garner more playing time — that has jolted the Red Sox to life.
—Jen McCaffrey, New York Times, 28 May 2026
Almost exactly a year ago, a swarm of earthquakes located in the ocean off Humboldt County jolted the same area in May 2025.
—George Avalos, Mercury News, 25 May 2026
Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 15 June 2026
That morning coffee that once jolted you awake now barely registers.
—Samantha Agate, Charlotte Observer, 13 June 2026
They might be jolted awake with a pounding heart, multiple times a night, for years.
—Joanna Fong-Isariyawongse, The Conversation, 11 June 2026
Its closure has jolted the world economy.
—Marlene Lenthang, NBC news, 7 June 2026
Its closure has jolted the world economy.
—Bassem Mroue, Los Angeles Times, 4 June 2026
Kids jolted into action, performing feats of cardio that would have adults needing a lie-down.
—Veronique Greenwood, Time, 29 May 2026
And yet, each is playing with desperation to make an impact — and garner more playing time — that has jolted the Red Sox to life.
—Jen McCaffrey, New York Times, 28 May 2026
Almost exactly a year ago, a swarm of earthquakes located in the ocean off Humboldt County jolted the same area in May 2025.
—George Avalos, Mercury News, 25 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for jolted
Verb
-
The catastrophic part of the book is shockingly witty and beautiful, but the first part shook me even more.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 June 2026
-
Some shook their head when they were first handed the headsets.—
Joshua Kloke,
New York Times,
17 June 2026
Verb
-
In the summer of 2020, former Morgan Stanley trader Adam Crawley was wandering through Indonesia, Thailand and Australia, perfecting his qigong with a man called Master YanG, when a cold message on LinkedIn jerked him back to reality.—
Phoebe Liu,
Forbes.com,
26 May 2026
-
John jerked Maggie back by the elbow and stopped her from stepping into the street.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
8 May 2026
Verb
-
More than three decades after the abduction and killing of a Granite Bay mother shocked Placer County, the man accused of the crime has pleaded guilty and agreed to spend the rest of his life in prison.—
Richard Ramos,
CBS News,
17 June 2026
-
Needless to say, my wife, daughters and myself were shocked and devastated.—
Greg Evans,
Deadline,
17 June 2026
Verb
-
The way the stadium shuddered with noise.—
Sebastian Stafford-Bloor,
New York Times,
7 May 2026
-
At least the elevator still creaked and shuddered, as in the old days, finally trembling open on the eighth floor.—
Rick Bragg,
Southern Living,
15 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Within days of its release, Anthropic’s most sophisticated public AI model was abruptly yanked from customers.—
Hadas Gold,
CNN Money,
21 June 2026
-
With two outs and a runner on, Sasaki yanked a splitter to the inside edge of the strike zone to Gunnar Henderson, who lifted it over the wall in right field.—
Maddie Lee,
Los Angeles Times,
20 June 2026
Verb
-
Seated beside Rosado on Wednesday, Lopez appeared appalled at what had transpired in recent weeks.—
Tess Riski
June 18,
Miami Herald,
18 June 2026
-
Democratic lawmakers were predictably appalled by Pulte’s selection.—
Shane Harris,
The Atlantic,
2 June 2026
Verb
-
THe morning after Louisiana’s House primaries were scheduled to take place, worshippers at Mount Zion First Baptist Church in Baton Rouge were on their feet, swaying to the gospel music that vibrated through the wooden pews.—
Yvonne Wingett Sanchez,
The Atlantic,
31 May 2026
-
The pilot of a helicopter that crashed on a sightseeing flight off the Hawaiian island of Kauai last month, killing three passengers, told investigators that the aircraft vibrated and spun before plunging into the water, according to report released Friday.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
17 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Latin America has lurched rightward in recent elections, as governments scramble to curtail violence stemming from record cocaine production.—
Brendan Ruberry,
semafor.com,
21 June 2026
-
As the carriage lurched forward, the teen’s mother fell from the vehicle, prompting Romanch Mahajan to jump out in an effort to help her, The Times reported.—
Thao Nguyen,
USA Today,
19 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Jolted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/jolted. Accessed 25 Jun. 2026.
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