jab
Americanverb (used with object)
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to poke, or thrust abruptly or sharply, as with the end or point of a stick or with the finger or elbow.
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to punch with a short, quick blow.
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Informal. to give (a person) a hypodermic injection, especially of a vaccine: I jab myself with insulin twice a day.
Here’s a list of the countries you can visit if you haven’t been jabbed.
I jab myself with insulin twice a day.
verb (used without object)
noun
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a poke with the end or point of something; a sharp, quick thrust.
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a short, quick punch.
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Informal. a hypodermic injection, especially of a vaccine.
Have you gotten your flu jab yet?
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Informal. an abrupt insult or critical remark.
That guy has no problem responding with a sarcastic jab.
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a sudden and unpleasant sensation or emotion: He knew she was happier now, but he still felt the slightest jab of guilt.
I have jabs of pain, numbness, and tingling in my fingers.
He knew she was happier now, but he still felt the slightest jab of guilt.
verb
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to poke or thrust sharply
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to strike with a quick short blow or blows
noun
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a sharp poke or stab
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a quick short blow, esp (in boxing) a straight punch with the leading hand
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informal an injection
polio jabs
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
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have jabbedperfect
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has jabbedperfect 3rd person singular
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has been jabbingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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jabssingular 3rd person
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are jabbingprogressive
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am jabbingprogressive 1st person singular
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have been jabbingperfect progressive
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jabbingparticiple
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is jabbingprogressive 3rd person singular
Past
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had jabbedperfect
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were jabbingprogressive plural
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was jabbingprogressive singular
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had been jabbingperfect progressive
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jabbedparticiple
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jabbedsimple
Future
Etymology
Origin of jab
First recorded in 1825–35; variant, originally Scots, of job 2
Explanation
When you jab someone, you poke that person. No one on the school bus wants to sit next to the kid who tends to jab people in their ribs with his sharp elbows. You might accidentally jab a man on the elevator with your umbrella, or jab your annoying brother on purpose when he's talking with his mouth full at dinner. Another kind of jab is a quick, sharp punch, especially the kind you make in martial arts. The word comes from the Scottish job, "to strike, pierce, or thrust," which in turn is rooted in the Middle English jobben, "to jab or thrust."
Vocabulary lists containing jab
Essential Three-Letter Words, Part 3
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Because of Mr. Terupt
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Dear Martin
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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.
Building immunity from the jab is not immediate, so it will take time for the impact of the vaccine to start to take full effect nationwide.
From BBC • May 27, 2026
Virologist Thomas Geisbert, who helped develop the Ervebo vaccine, has designed a similar, single-injection jab targeting the Bundibugyo strain that research on monkeys has found offers protection against the virus.
From Barron's • May 19, 2026
On the call with shareholders this past Monday, Sankar appeared to take a jab at those efforts, saying the labs were trying to imitate Palantir.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 9, 2026
Yet after being told to expect a two-year wait for help through the NHS, Hannah bought the jab via an online pharmacy, but said the lack of supervision concerned her.
From BBC • May 2, 2026
At first it was from the shots they gave us for typhoid, in very heavy doses and in assembly- line fashion: swab, jab, swab, Move along now, swab, jab, swab, Keep it moving.
From "Farewell to Manzanar" by Jeanne Houston
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.
