Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- intransitive verb To move or dislodge with a sudden, hard blow; strike heavily or jarringly.
- intransitive verb To cause to move jerkily.
- intransitive verb To put into a specified condition by or as if by a blow.
- intransitive verb To make suddenly active or effective.
- intransitive verb To disturb suddenly and severely; stun.
- intransitive verb To proceed in an irregular, bumpy, or jerky fashion.
- noun A sudden jarring or jerking motion, as from a blow.
- noun A sudden, strong feeling of surprise or disappointment; a shock.
- noun The cause of such a feeling.
- noun A brief strong portion.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun A shock or shake by a sudden jerk, as in a carriage.
- noun plural Cabbage-plants that in the spring go to seed prematurely.
- noun Synonyms Collision, Concussion, etc. See
shock . - To shake with sudden jerks, as in a carriage on rough ground, or on a high-trotting horse.
- To move with short, abrupt risings and fallings, as a carriage on rough ground; have a shaking or jerking motion.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- intransitive verb To shake with short, abrupt risings and fallings, as a carriage moving on rough ground.
- noun A sudden shock or jerk; a jolting motion, as in a carriage moving over rough ground.
- noun A physical or psychological shock; see
jolt v. t. senses 2 and 3. - noun Something which causes a
jolt {2}. - transitive verb To cause to move with a sudden motion, especially an up and down motion, as in a carriage going over rough ground, or on a high-trotting horse
- transitive verb To stun or shock a person physically, as with a blow or electrical shock.
- transitive verb To stun or shock or change the mental state of (a person) suddenly, as if with a blow.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- verb transitive To
push orshake abruptly and roughly. - verb transitive To
knock sharply; to deal a blow to. - verb transitive To
shock (someone) into taking action or being alert; as, to jolt someone out of complacency - verb transitive To
shock emotionally . - verb intransitive To shake; to move with a series of
jerks . - noun An act of jolting.
- noun A
surprise orshock . - noun slang A long
prison sentence . - noun slang A
narcotic injection .
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- verb move or cause to move with a sudden jerky motion
- verb disturb (someone's) composure
- noun a sudden jarring impact
- noun an abrupt spasmodic movement
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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He had come to the decision that Ruth needed what he called a jolt to bring her to herself, much as a sleep-walker is aroused by the touch of
The Coming of Bill 1928
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Such jobs cannot be created by a short-term jolt of government spending, or by cutting government investments in education, science, technology, and infrastructure.
Jeffrey Sachs: A New Direction for American Economic Policy Jeffrey Sachs 2011
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Japan may have provided a short-term jolt to uranium prices, but the new generation of nuclear plants slated for the world's fastest growing economies is still intact.
Chinese Demand Rides to Uranium's Rescue Andrea Hotter 2011
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Such jobs cannot be created by a short-term jolt of government spending, or by cutting government investments in education, science, technology, and infrastructure.
Jeffrey Sachs: A New Direction for American Economic Policy Jeffrey Sachs 2011
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His six-inch jolt is more the real sleep medicine than the full-arm swing of most geezers.
Chapter I 2010
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Such jobs cannot be created by a short-term jolt of government spending, or by cutting government investments in education, science, technology, and infrastructure.
Jeffrey Sachs: A New Direction for American Economic Policy Jeffrey Sachs 2011
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The latest jolt from the defending Eastern Conference champions came Wednesday night in a 5-3 victory.
USATODAY.com 2008
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The tax cuts could provide a short-term jolt to the economy, painting a rosier picture of the U.S. recovery, though they are still not a done deal.
Dollar Gains Strength Bradley Davis 2010
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Temporary but critical assistance giving a short-term jolt for a long-term gain.
Jeff Schweitzer: The Consequences of Short-Term Thinking: Part II 2009
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Jason Dickerson, a budget analyst for California's Legislative Analyst's Office, said the postponement of income-tax refunds means local retailers and businesses won't receive the expected annual short-term jolt of cash.
reesetee commented on the word jolt
Almost onomatopoeic.
December 19, 2007