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jostle

jostle

1 4.8
A push or bump in a crowd to get past someone
  • noun
  • /ˈdʒɑːsl/
translation icon : empujón
  • During the festival, the children experienced the jostle of the crowd as they rushed toward the stage.
  • the jostle on the street

Examples

  • He gave me a soft jostle with his elbow.

    Fiction book (1999)
  • The jostle of people in the crowded subway made it difficult to move.

  • You know, there's nothing like the jostle and the noise and the music of a Saturday night for cheering a fellow up.

  • He crowded in behind the jostle of tourists and other skiers.

    Fiction book (1999)
  • We danced, and I bought another beer and leaned against the wall, and Rajesh stood in front of me and was pressed against me by the delirious jostle.

    Fiction book (1998)
  • They brought with them an exaggerated sense of honor that would not tolerate a careless comment, a jostle on the street, or a derogatory gesture.

    Academic text (1994)
  • In the market, the jostle of shoppers trying to get to the stalls was overwhelming.

Synonyms

thrust
vsjostle
26 4.2

A strong sudden push often made with a hand or weapon

focuses on crowd shoving to pass through rather than sudden forceful action
jostling
vsjostle
4 3.6

Pushing and bumping into people in a crowd to move forward

shares the same sense but appears as a different grammatical form
elbowing
vsjostle
1 4.4

Pushing someone with the elbow to get ahead in a crowd

is usually a general crowd push to move through without aiming at someone

How Forceful

collision
148 3.8
shove
31 2.7
jostle
1 4.8
bump
91 1.4

Surface Forms

jostle singular
jostles plural

Etymology

The noun jostle comes from the same old French joster meaning 'to come near' or 'push', so a jostle is a quick push or shove you feel when people press together.