1
: an abrupt, sharp, jerky blow or movement
awoke with a jolt
2
a(1)
: a sudden feeling of shock, surprise, or disappointment
the news gave them a jolt
(2)
: an event or development causing such a feeling
the defeat was quite a jolt
b
: a serious setback or reverse
a severe financial jolt
3
: a small but potent or bracing portion of something
a jolt of horseradish
jolted; jolting; jolts
1
a
: to disturb the composure of : shock
crudely jolted out of that mood—
Virginia Woolf
Virginia Woolfan announcement that jolted the community
b
: to interfere with roughly, abruptly, and disconcertingly
determination to pursue his own course was jolted badly—F. L. Paxson
F. L. Paxson2
: to cause to move with a sudden jerky motion
passengers being jolted along a bumpy road
3
: to give a knock or blow to
specifically
: to jar with a quick or hard blow
: to move with a sudden jerky motion
jolter
noun
Synonyms
Examples of jolt in a Sentence
Noun
I sprang out of bed with a jolt.
The car stopped with a jolt.
I got quite a jolt when I heard the door slam.
The defeat was quite a jolt to the team.
The stock market suffered a major jolt yesterday.
She needed a jolt of caffeine to start her day.
The unexpected praise he received gave him a jolt of confidence.
Verb
The explosion jolted the ship.
He was jolted forward when the bus stopped suddenly.
The loud bang jolted me awake.
The attack jolted the country into action.
She jolted the medical world with her announcement.
Recent Examples on the WebNew Atlas, 24 Sep. 2024
Not surprisingly, the news has given a jolt to the most liquid Chinese ETF today, as well.
—Frank Cappelleri, CNBC, 24 Sep. 2024
Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 26 Sep. 2024
The starting blocks might actually be walls The NBA schedule release has become a bit of an event, fans desperate for something that resembles news to jolt some excitement into the late summer while people like me go scrambling for hotel rooms and baby-sitters.
—Dan Woike, Los Angeles Times, 19 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for jolt 
Noun
However, when a cardiac arrest is due to ‘shockable’ heart arrhythmias, those odds are improved by rapid defibrillation – applying electrode pads to the chest to deliver an electric jolt to shock the heart back into normal rhythm.
—New Atlas, 24 Sep. 2024
Not surprisingly, the news has given a jolt to the most liquid Chinese ETF today, as well.
—Frank Cappelleri, CNBC, 24 Sep. 2024
Verb
There’s also a brief but jolting live-performance element that, though peripheral to the plot, is crucial to the experience—a moment of theatrical interaction with the filmed image, which highlights the immediate physicality from which even the most elaborate cinematic images are made.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 26 Sep. 2024
The starting blocks might actually be walls The NBA schedule release has become a bit of an event, fans desperate for something that resembles news to jolt some excitement into the late summer while people like me go scrambling for hotel rooms and baby-sitters.
—Dan Woike, Los Angeles Times, 19 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for jolt
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'jolt.' 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 jolt
Cite this Entry
“Jolt.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/jolt. Accessed 1 Oct. 2024.
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