Standard Lemma guide

jolt

noun · verb · 14 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • UK: /d͡ʒɒlt/
  • UK: /d͡ʒəʊlt/
  • General-American: /d͡ʒoʊlt/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ɒlt
  • rhymes with -əʊlt
  • CMU ARPABET: JH OW1 L T Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

An act of jolting.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A surprise or shock.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

A long prison sentence.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: slang

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

A narcotic injection.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: slang

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

The rate of change in acceleration with respect to time.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: engineering, natural-sciences, physical-sciences, physics

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: jerk, surge, lurch

Antonyms: none provided

6

verb

Meaning 6

To push or shake abruptly and roughly.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

Examples

  • The bus jolted its passengers at every turn.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

7

verb

Meaning 7

To knock sharply

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

8

verb

Meaning 8

To shock (someone) into taking action or being alert

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

Examples

  • I jolted her out of complacency.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

9

verb

Meaning 9

To shock emotionally.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

Examples

  • Her untimely death jolted us all.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

10

verb

Meaning 10

To shake; to move with a series of jerks.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: intransitive

Examples

  • The car jolted along the stony path.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

11

noun

Meaning 11

an abrupt spasmodic movement

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: jerk, jerking, saccade

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: motion, movement, move, motility

12

noun

Meaning 12

a sudden jarring impact

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • the door closed with a jolt
  • all the jars and jolts were smoothed out by the shock absorbers

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: jar, jounce, shock

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: blow, bump

13

verb

Meaning 13

disturb (someone's) composure

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • The audience was jolted by the play

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: disturb, upset, trouble

14

verb

Meaning 14

move or cause to move with a sudden jerky motion

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: jar

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: move

History

Etymology

Perhaps from joll (“to knock, strike”) + -t (frequentative suffix).

Across languages

Translations

155 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: друсане (drusane) — act of jolting
  • Bulgarian: тръскане (trǎskane) — act of jolting
  • Czech: trhnutí — act of jolting
  • Czech: cuknutí — act of jolting
  • Czech: škubnutí — act of jolting
  • Dutch: schokken — act of jolting
  • Dutch: horten — act of jolting
  • Dutch: botsen — act of jolting
  • Finnish: tärähdys — act of jolting
  • Finnish: tärinä — act of jolting
  • French: soubresaut — act of jolting
  • French: secousse — act of jolting
  • French: à-coup — act of jolting
  • Georgian: ნჯღრევა (nǯɣreva) — act of jolting
  • Georgian: ნძრევა (nʒreva) — act of jolting
  • German: Gerüttel — act of jolting
  • German: Geschüttel — act of jolting
  • German: Ruck — act of jolting
  • German: Rucken — act of jolting
  • German: Stoß — act of jolting
  • German: Stoßen — act of jolting
  • Hungarian: zökkenés — act of jolting
  • Hungarian: zökkenő — act of jolting
  • Hungarian: döccenés — act of jolting
  • Hungarian: rázkódás — act of jolting
  • Hungarian: zötykölődés — act of jolting
  • Hungarian: löket — act of jolting
  • Hungarian: rángatózás — act of jolting
  • Russian: тря́ска (trjáska) — act of jolting
  • Russian: толчо́к (tolčók) — act of jolting
  • Scottish Gaelic: crathadh — act of jolting
  • Swedish: skakning — act of jolting
  • Swedish: ryck — act of jolting
  • Swedish: stöt — act of jolting
  • Ukrainian: трясіння (trjasinnja) — act of jolting
  • Ukrainian: поштовх (poštovx) — act of jolting
  • Bulgarian: шок (šok) — surprise or shock
  • Bulgarian: разтърсване (raztǎrsvane) — surprise or shock
  • Czech: otřes — surprise or shock
  • Czech: šok — surprise or shock
  • Dutch: schok — surprise or shock
  • Dutch: verrassing — surprise or shock
  • Dutch: ontnuchtering — surprise or shock
  • Finnish: järkytys — surprise or shock
  • Finnish: shokki — surprise or shock
  • German: Schock — surprise or shock
  • German: Aufrüttler — surprise or shock
  • German: Waxhrüttler — surprise or shock
  • Hungarian: megrázkódtatás — surprise or shock
  • Hungarian: meglepetés — surprise or shock
  • Russian: встря́ска (vstrjáska) — surprise or shock
  • Russian: уда́р (udár) — surprise or shock
  • Russian: шок (šok) — surprise or shock
  • Ukrainian: струс (strus) — surprise or shock
  • Ukrainian: шок (šok) — surprise or shock
  • Ukrainian: двигіт (dvyhit) — surprise or shock
  • German: Denkzettel — long prison sentence
  • German: Schuss — narcotic injection
  • Hungarian: löket — narcotic injection
  • Hungarian: lövés — narcotic injection
  • Bulgarian: друсам (drusam) — to push or shake
  • Bulgarian: разтърсвам (raztǎrsvam) — to push or shake
  • Catalan: sotraguejar — to push or shake
  • Czech: cuknout — to push or shake
  • Czech: škubnout — to push or shake
  • Czech: trhnout — to push or shake
  • Dutch: schokken — to push or shake
  • Dutch: hobbelen — to push or shake
  • Esperanto: ekskuiĝi — to push or shake
  • Finnish: ravistaa — to push or shake
  • Finnish: täristää — to push or shake
  • French: ballotter — to push or shake
  • French: cahoter — to push or shake
  • French: secouer — to push or shake
  • French: tressauter — to push or shake
  • Georgian: ნჯღრევა (nǯɣreva) — to push or shake
  • Georgian: ნძრევა (nʒreva) — to push or shake
  • Georgian: რხევა (rxeva) — to push or shake
  • German: schütteln — to push or shake
  • German: durchrütteln — to push or shake
  • Hungarian: rángat — to push or shake
  • Hungarian: ráz — to push or shake
  • Hungarian: zötyköl — to push or shake
  • Hungarian: lökdös — to push or shake
  • Hungarian: zökkent — to push or shake
  • Hungarian: lök — to push or shake
  • Hungarian: döccent — to push or shake
  • Italian: sballottare — to push or shake
  • Italian: sbalzellare — to push or shake
  • Italian: sobbalzare — to push or shake
  • Italian: scuotere — to push or shake
  • Italian: squassare — to push or shake
  • Portuguese: sacudir — to push or shake
  • Russian: трясти́ (trjastí) — to push or shake
  • Russian: тряхну́ть (trjaxnútʹ) — to push or shake
  • Scottish Gaelic: crath — to push or shake
  • Serbo-Croatian: tresati — to push or shake
  • Spanish: sacudir — to push or shake
  • Turkish: sarsmak — to push or shake
  • Ukrainian: трясти (trjasty) — to push or shake
  • Ukrainian: стрясати (strjasaty) — to push or shake
  • Walloon: cahossî — to push or shake
  • Walloon: kihossî — to push or shake
  • Bulgarian: удрям силно (udrjam silno) — to deal a blow to
  • Finnish: lyödä — to deal a blow to
  • Finnish: täräyttää — to deal a blow to
  • German: einen Schlag versetzen — to deal a blow to
  • Hungarian: megüt — to deal a blow to
  • Hungarian: rávág — to deal a blow to
  • Hungarian: rácsap — to deal a blow to
  • Māori: rutu — to deal a blow to
  • Serbo-Croatian: tresnuti — to deal a blow to
  • Bulgarian: задействам (zadejstvam) — to shock into taking action
  • Dutch: in de war brengen — to shock into taking action
  • Finnish: tönäistä — to shock into taking action
  • Finnish: töniä — to shock into taking action
  • Georgian: ბიძგი (biʒgi) — to shock into taking action
  • German: aufrütteln — to shock into taking action
  • German: wachrütteln — to shock into taking action
  • Hungarian: kizökkent — to shock into taking action
  • Hungarian: felráz — to shock into taking action
  • Bulgarian: разтъ́рсвам (raztǎ́rsvam) — to shock emotionally
  • Bulgarian: потреса́вам (potresávam) — to shock emotionally
  • Czech: otřást — to shock emotionally
  • Czech: zamávat — to shock emotionally
  • Dutch: kwetsen — to shock emotionally
  • Dutch: ontnuchteren — to shock emotionally
  • Finnish: järkyttää — to shock emotionally
  • German: schwer treffen — to shock emotionally
  • German: erschüttern — to shock emotionally
  • Hungarian: megráz — to shock emotionally
  • Hungarian: sokkol — to shock emotionally
  • Russian: потряса́ть (potrjasátʹ) — to shock emotionally
  • Russian: потрясти́ (potrjastí) — to shock emotionally
  • Russian: встрево́жить (vstrevóžitʹ) — to shock emotionally
  • Serbo-Croatian: potresti — to shock emotionally
  • Spanish: sacudir — to shock emotionally
  • Ukrainian: стрясати (strjasaty) — to shock emotionally
  • Ukrainian: шокувати (šokuvaty) — to shock emotionally
  • Czech: kodrcat se — to shake, move with a series of jerks
  • Dutch: verwarren — to shake, move with a series of jerks
  • Finnish: heilahdella — to shake, move with a series of jerks
  • Finnish: vaappua — to shake, move with a series of jerks
  • German: holpern — to shake, move with a series of jerks
  • German: rütteln — to shake, move with a series of jerks
  • German: ruckeln — to shake, move with a series of jerks
  • Hungarian: zötyög — to shake, move with a series of jerks
  • Hungarian: zötykölődik — to shake, move with a series of jerks
  • Hungarian: döcög — to shake, move with a series of jerks
  • Hungarian: döccen — to shake, move with a series of jerks
  • Hungarian: rázkódik — to shake, move with a series of jerks
  • Russian: трястись (trjastisʹ) — to shake, move with a series of jerks
  • Serbo-Croatian: tresati se — to shake, move with a series of jerks
  • Spanish: traquetear — to shake, move with a series of jerks
  • Ukrainian: трястися (trjastysja) — to shake, move with a series of jerks