jabs 1 of 2

noun

plural of jab
as in punches
a quick thrust gave the jellyfish on the beach a cautious jab with my stick

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jabs

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of jab
as in stabs
to penetrate or hold (something) with a pointed object jabbed a pickle and tossed it on the plate

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of jabs
Noun
With blistering satirical slants and a steady mix of acidic jabs at middle-class life, Darko should be boffo among the teen and young adults segment as well as those viewers still plugged into a sophomoric self-identity. — Duane Byrge, HollywoodReporter, 26 Oct. 2026 Trump also defended himself against Maher’s jabs at his low approval ratings by wildly mischaracterizing CNN’s reporting. — Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 26 Oct. 2026 Between jabs at exes and former teammates, Rodgers rehashed a decade of bad blood with his parents and brothers, Luke and Jordan. — Alejandro Avila Outkick, FOXNews.com, 23 Oct. 2026 Every show got their jabs in, but Jordan Klepper on The Daily Show did it best. — Bethy Squires, Vulture, 23 Oct. 2026 For a solid thirty minutes, the candidates defended their honor as the race’s most pro-Israel candidate — at times sneaking in jabs about their opponent. — Lauren Costantino, Miami Herald, 22 Oct. 2026 Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and Councilmember Nithya Raman traded jabs in their final debate before November's election. — Tom Wait, CBS News, 14 Oct. 2026 Hosted by Atlanta News First, the hourlong debate was caustic and the jabs often deeply personal. — AJC.com, 9 Oct. 2026 As the Raiders were building their lead, Crosby sacked Mahomes twice and repeatedly took extra jabs at him. — Kansas City Star, 1 Oct. 2026
Verb
Rather than immediately running toward his destination on the opposite side of the field, Jefferson jabs at the defender to create even more separation. — Alec Lewis, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026 Vance, El-Sayed exchange jabs over spouse comments The dispute also took a personal turn as the vice president condemned El-Sayed for comments about second lady Usha Vance. — Melina Khan, USA Today, 1 Sep. 2026 To explain this thinking, Lee jabs the New York Mets amid their disappointing MLB season. — Dan Bernstein, Sportico.com, 28 Aug. 2026 Michigan Dem hopeful Abdul El-Sayed jabs CNN giving him 'non-consensual colonoscopy' in recent interviews. — FOXNews.com, 21 July 2026 Donald Trump‘s effort today to praise his new Homeland Security Secretary and defend him from Jimmy Kimmel‘s jabs kind of backfired. — Dominic Patten, Deadline, 26 Mar. 2026 In another moment, long-time rivals Jett and Mane exchange jabs against one another over a livestream as thousands of roarball fans tune in and cheer them on in the comments. — Payton Turkeltaub, Variety, 13 Feb. 2026 Srinivas, who often jabs the search engine giant, made an interesting point. — Reed Albergotti, semafor.com, 3 Oct. 2025 Haggard jabs Baird over mailers The race is already tense. — Kayla Dwyer, IndyStar, 13 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for jabs
  1. punches
  2. stabs
  3. digs
  4. punctures
  5. pokes
  6. picks
  7. pierces
  8. sticks
Noun
  • And a fair fight is not just two fighters throwing the same punches at each other for 50 years.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 25 Oct. 2026
  • In the opposite corner of the ring, Evloev is a freestyle fighter, getting a bunch of different kicks and punches to give him the edge.
    — OutKick, FOXNews.com, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of punches
Verb
  • The sequence culminates in the Great Hall, where Ned kicks part of his broken cane to Colum, who stabs MacKinney in the leg.
    — Max Gao, HollywoodReporter, 5 Oct. 2026
  • But before Bane can finish him off, Batman stabs a Batarang into a little knob on Bane’s wrist gauntlet, the one that controls his intake of Venom.
    — Daniel Dockery, Vulture, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of stabs
Noun
  • The prison is smaller than his previous digs, housing 1,044 Inmates whereas Fort Dix had over 4,000.
    — Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 19 Oct. 2026
  • That said, prior archaeological digs have revealed similar prehistoric wooden weapons dating as far back as 400,000 years.
    — Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of digs
Verb
  • The incidental findings problem Here is the number that punctures the marketing.
    — Hanna Wickes, Miami Herald, 21 Sep. 2026
  • That’s because when a snake bites and punctures the skin and transfers venom into the victim’s body, the venom attacks the skin, soft tissue and connective tissue beneath it.
    — Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 21 July 2026
Definition of punctures
Noun
  • At about 17 seconds, the driver’s leg pokes from the car and steps onto the deck of the bridge.
    — Eric Adler, Kansas City Star, 21 July 2026
  • Earlier, authorities blocked access to excerpts of Goktas' show, including pokes at Erdogan, that were uploaded onto social media.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 2 July 2026
Definition of pokes
Verb
  • Each journalist picks 10 names from the 30 nominees in descending order, with each position scored on a basis of 15 points for the top choice and one for the 10th.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 25 Oct. 2026
  • The slightly bigger but AI-free LG 45 Ultragear OLED (45GX950A-B) and the 39-inch Alienware 39 5K OLED Gaming Monitor (AW3926QW) are better choices and remain our Editors' Choice picks in this category.
    — Zackery Cuevas, PC Magazine, 25 Oct. 2026
Definition of picks
Verb
  • Christmas tree pins have a tiered configuration that compresses rather than pierces the ground (a win for modern synthetic or Mondo tracks).
    — Stacia Datskovska, Footwear News, 10 Sep. 2026
  • An ice sculpture of a heart includes a tube through the ice arrow that pierces the heart.
    — Peter Larsen, Oc Register, 10 July 2026
Definition of pierces
Verb
  • The right-side fan mount is also covered with a dust filter, which sticks magnetically to the inside of the side panel.
    — Thomas Soderstrom, PC Magazine, 10 Oct. 2026
  • Selfie sticks dangle off every bridge, and tour groups shuffle behind guides waving flags.
    — Mary Holland, Robb Report, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of sticks

Browse Nearby Words

jabbing
jabs
jack
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Cite this Entry

“Jabs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/jabs. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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