jolt
Americanverb (used with object)
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to jar, shake, or cause to move by or as if by a sudden rough thrust; shake up roughly.
The bus jolted its passengers as it went down the rocky road.
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to knock sharply so as to dislodge.
He jolted the nail free with a stone.
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to stun with a blow, especially in boxing.
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to shock emotionally or psychologically.
His sudden death jolted us all.
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to bring to a desired state sharply or abruptly.
to jolt a person into awareness.
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to make active or alert, as by using an abrupt, sharp, or rough manner.
to jolt someone's memory.
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to interfere with or intrude upon, especially in a rough or crude manner; interrupt disturbingly.
verb (used without object)
noun
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a jolting shock, movement, or blow.
The automobile gave a sudden jolt.
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an emotional or psychological shock.
The news of his arrest gave me quite a jolt.
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something that causes such a shock.
The news was a jolt to me.
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a sudden, unexpected rejection or defeat.
Their policy got a rude jolt from the widespread opposition.
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Slang. a prison sentence.
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Slang. an injection of a narcotic.
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a bracing dose of something.
a jolt of whiskey; a jolt of fresh air.
verb
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to bump against with a jarring blow; jostle
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to move in a jolting manner
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to surprise or shock
noun
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a sudden jar or blow
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an emotional shock
Other Word Forms
- jolter noun
- joltingly adverb
- joltless adjective
- jolty adjective
- unjolted adjective
Etymology
Origin of jolt
1590–1600; blend of jot to jolt and joll to bump, both now dial.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Investors are betting big that the largest oil disruption in history might jolt the energy industry out of a yearslong slumber.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026
Memory and data-storage stocks received a jolt last week when Alphabet’s Google unveiled TurboQuant, an artificial-intelligence memory compression algorithm.
From Barron's • Mar. 30, 2026
Greg Jackson, head of Octopus Energy, described a "huge jolt" in sales of solar panels and heat pumps, as well as enquiries about electric vehicles and chargers, so far this month compared to February.
From BBC • Mar. 25, 2026
Penning didn’t add much of a jolt to the Chargers’ attempts to secure more protection for Herbert in the second half of the season, often struggling to keep opposing pass rushers in front of him.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 13, 2026
It was the jolt he needed, and he ran into the sun-warmed water, soaking his clothes as he waded quickly toward the boat.
From "The Boy Who Met a Whale" by Nizrana Farook
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
