1
as in collision
a forceful coming together of two things
pack the glass vase so that it won't fall victim to any hard jolts in transit
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in surprise
something that makes a strong impression because it is so unexpected
the news of the CEO's sudden retirement was a jolt to us all
Synonyms & Similar Words
1
as in to shake
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
2
as in to yank
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 to shock
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
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of jolt
Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2025
Arabica rules—more than 150 million people in this country jump-start their day with a java jolt.
—Catharine Kaufman, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Aug. 2025
Charlotte Alter, Time, 20 Aug. 2025
Weapons wants nothing more than to jolt you out of a sense of complacency — to remind you that manipulative forces exist, and not even basic explanations can wash away the concept of chaos hovering just outside of the frame.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 6 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for jolt
Noun
New York’s season has also had its many jolts and flips.
—Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2025
Arabica rules—more than 150 million people in this country jump-start their day with a java jolt.
—Catharine Kaufman, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Aug. 2025
Verb
But the episode jolted their family to action.
—Charlotte Alter, Time, 20 Aug. 2025
Weapons wants nothing more than to jolt you out of a sense of complacency — to remind you that manipulative forces exist, and not even basic explanations can wash away the concept of chaos hovering just outside of the frame.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 6 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for jolt
Recent Examples of Synonyms for jolt
Noun
-
Its systems act as a 3D camera, tracking up to 15,000 collisions each second.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
4 Sep. 2025
-
Callahan was given citations for following too closely, failure to exercise due care to avoid a collision with a horse on the highway, and unreasonable speed, according to authorities.—
Sam Gillette,
PEOPLE,
4 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The president made a surprise on-field cameo at Chelsea FC’s win at the World Cup Final in New Jersey in July.—
Shelby Talcott,
semafor.com,
5 Sep. 2025
-
To my surprise, the burger was quite good; a gooey mesh of meat and cheese became one flesh.—
Joe Joyce,
The Washington Examiner,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
On back-to-back pass plays, though, Ward held the ball too long and couldn’t shake the Broncos’ pass rush, resulting in back-to-back sacks that took the Titans outside field goal range.—
Nick Kosmider,
New York Times,
8 Sep. 2025
-
After a while, the lady shook her head.—
Bryan Washington,
New Yorker,
7 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
In fact, Labyrinth was yanked from some theaters less than a month after its release.—
Logan Karlie
September 2,
Literary Hub,
2 Sep. 2025
-
After deciding to take his family to a tourist town for some fun in the sun, a minor encounter with local bullies yanks the family into the crosshairs of an unhinged, blood-thirsty crime boss (Sharon Stone), who is determined to derail his relaxation.—
Billie Melissa,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Apparently, this will shock no one, everybody lately wants to scream.—
Christopher Borrelli,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Sep. 2025
-
In 2019, after massive layoffs and lost sales, the company shocked Wall Street by writing down the value of marquee brands Oscar Mayer and Kraft by $15 billion.—
Alina Selyukh,
NPR,
2 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
And the thump, thump, thumping of her brother’s hands pounding a heavy bag.—
Kyle Newman,
Denver Post,
30 Aug. 2025
-
Collins brings some thump to the four spot at no cost after next season.—
David Aldridge,
New York Times,
21 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
The revelation raised the possibility that an unknown entity had obtained the cryptographic equivalent of a skeleton key that could be used to surreptitiously decrypt millions of users’ DNS queries that were encrypted through DNS over TLS or DNS over HTTPS.—
Dan Goodin,
ArsTechnica,
4 Sep. 2025
-
Washington agreed, but also dropped a revelation that left the audience stunned.—
Preezy Brown,
VIBE.com,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The White House will be well aware of this fact, particularly in an environment where fiscally conservative Republicans will be shuddering at Uncle Sam’s $37 trillion (and growing) national debt.—
Eleanor Pringle,
Fortune,
20 Aug. 2025
-
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
Cite this Entry
“Jolt.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/jolt. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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