jostled; jostling
ˈjā-s(ə-)liŋ 
1
a
: to come in contact or into collision
a jostling crowd
b
: to make one's way by pushing and shoving
people jostling toward the exit
c
: to exist in close proximity
2
: to vie in gaining an objective : contend
tribes began to jostle with one another for room—
Daniel Defoe
Daniel Defoe1
2
: to vie with in attaining an objective
an enormous industry in which a great many companies and interests jostle each other fiercely—Washington Post
Washington Post1
: the experience of being pushed or jostled (see jostle entry 1)
might glide through … life among them without a jostle—Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson2
: the state of being crowded or pushed together : the state of being jostled
the state fair is deliberately about the crowds and jostle, the noise and overload of sight and event—David Foster Wallace
David Foster WallaceExamples of jostle in a Sentence
Verb
Everyone in the crowd was jostling each other trying to get a better view.
everyone glared at the man who jostled to the front of the line
Recent Examples on the Web
Omar S Mahmood, Time, 24 Oct. 2025
This is stylish and practical but not secure if placed where the glasses might get jostled.
—Bestreviews, Mercury News, 22 Oct. 2025
Peter Aitken, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Sep. 2025
The last 45 minutes to an hour will be on a lumpy dirt road, but the bumps and jostles will be worth the trip.
—Robert Annis, Outside, 5 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for jostle
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Verb
Both sides are now jostling for control of Jubaland’s northern Gedo region.
—Omar S Mahmood, Time, 24 Oct. 2025
This is stylish and practical but not secure if placed where the glasses might get jostled.
—Bestreviews, Mercury News, 22 Oct. 2025
Noun
Microsoft in 2020 released findings from a two-year study that determined undersea datacenters would prove a reliable and practical solution for issues related to corrosion from oxygen and humidity, temperature fluctuations, and bumps and jostles from people who replace broken components.
—Peter Aitken, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Sep. 2025
The last 45 minutes to an hour will be on a lumpy dirt road, but the bumps and jostles will be worth the trip.
—Robert Annis, Outside, 5 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for jostle
Cite this Entry
“Jostle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/jostle. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
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