jack
- noun
- /dʒæk/
- In exasperation, I dug out the leather pouch containing my old jacks and rubber ball and wore it to school.
Examples
-
After collecting all the jacks, she triumphantly showed her friends her score.
-
Then we'll go to your house and play jacks.
Fiction book (2001) -
Little girls were playing jacks, and others were jumping rope.
Fiction book (1991) -
You won't be able to get a game of jacks!
-
I was sitting on the curb playing jacks when the big truck came flying around the corner, practically tilted on one side.
Fiction book (2001) -
I enjoyed playing jacks with my friends during recess.
-
In the game of jacks, players bounce a ball while trying to pick up the small pieces.
Synonyms
Small metal pieces with six points used in the game jacks
Idioms
Compounds
The national flag of the United Kingdom showing the crosses of England, Scotland, and Ireland
- Informal
A person who can do many different jobs fairly well but is not an expert
A person who killed several women in London in the late 1800s and was never identified
A toy figure with moving arms and legs that moves up and down when you pull its strings
- US
A medium pine tree with two yellow-green needles on each branch and rough scaly bark
- Specialized
A hand tool with a long flat bottom for smoothing and shaping wood before finishing
- Archaic
A surprising thing that seems to come by luck, not skill, like a small toy in a snack box
- Specialized
A large silver fish that lives near the coast in warm seas and fights hard when caught
- Jargon
Card game where players score points by taking the highest card, the lowest card, the jack, or most cards
- Specialized
A large strong fish people catch for sport in the western Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico
A large poisonous mushroom with orange caps that grows in tight groups and gills that glow in the dark
- Specialized
A tool that lifts heavy things by turning a screw, often used to raise a car
A simple card game for two players where one player tries to win all the other player's cards
Surface Forms
Etymology
Jack in the children's game comes from the old use of small bones or pebbles as targets, so a jack is a tiny object you pick up while bouncing the ball.