1
: donkey
especially
: a male donkey
2
: a stupid, annoying, or detestable person
… the weird thing about charisma is that trying to be charismatic backfires. By trying to be charismatic, you come off like a jackass.—
Zoë Chance
Zoë ChanceIf you asked me ten years ago, I would have said, "Hell no, I'm not a Caribbean writer! I'm a writer." Now, I'm like, "That guy was a jackass. Don't listen to him!" Of course, I'm a Caribbean writer.—Marlon James
Marlon JamesThis episode is the story of a real jackass abuser who literally bullies an entire town in Missouri for decades.—smilepolitely.com
smilepolitely.comSynonyms
Examples of jackass in a Sentence
Some jackass spilled his drink on my shoes.
only a jackass would dive into a lake without first checking to see how deep the water is
Recent Examples on the Web
Hey, Joe and fellow travelers, don’t act like your party moniker, the donkey, or more precisely, like jackasses.
—David Holahan, Hartford Courant, 22 Jan. 2024
These women need to police their behavior around this jackass of a man so that Hannah can feel comfortable?
—Brian Moylan, Vulture, 1 Apr. 2024
And that one guy who gets that — John: One jackass.
—Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 24 Oct. 2023
The literal president, Barack Obama, had called him a jackass.
—Taffy Brodesser-Akner, New York Times, 12 Oct. 2023
There is something new, though, about doing so while also being honest with your preconceptions about the restaurant and its clientele; to do so is to risk coming off like a jackass in the process.
—Peter Rubin, Longreads, 12 Sep. 2023
Working with her are an assortment of flight attendants and crew, as well as passengers — Ryan, widowed in the crash; Andy, the resident jackass; an elderly couple, Ira and Ruth; and Maia, a girl roughly Shannon’s age. Books Summer’s big thriller goes from LAX to JFK.
—Jordan Riefe, Los Angeles Times, 30 May 2023
Are you allowed to be a jackass in Brazil?
—Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 27 Mar. 2023
Any jackass can sell a $12 quality hamburger.
—Alicia Kelso, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2021
David Holahan, Hartford Courant, 22 Jan. 2024
These women need to police their behavior around this jackass of a man so that Hannah can feel comfortable?
—Brian Moylan, Vulture, 1 Apr. 2024
And that one guy who gets that — John: One jackass.
—Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 24 Oct. 2023
The literal president, Barack Obama, had called him a jackass.
—Taffy Brodesser-Akner, New York Times, 12 Oct. 2023
There is something new, though, about doing so while also being honest with your preconceptions about the restaurant and its clientele; to do so is to risk coming off like a jackass in the process.
—Peter Rubin, Longreads, 12 Sep. 2023
Working with her are an assortment of flight attendants and crew, as well as passengers — Ryan, widowed in the crash; Andy, the resident jackass; an elderly couple, Ira and Ruth; and Maia, a girl roughly Shannon’s age. Books Summer’s big thriller goes from LAX to JFK.
—Jordan Riefe, Los Angeles Times, 30 May 2023
Are you allowed to be a jackass in Brazil?
—Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 27 Mar. 2023
Any jackass can sell a $12 quality hamburger.
—Alicia Kelso, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2021
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'jackass.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near jackass
Cite this Entry
“Jackass.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/jackass. Accessed 30 Jun. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
jackass
noun
jack·ass
ˈjak-ˌas 
1
: donkey sense 1
especially
: a male donkey
2
: a stupid person : fool
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