jostle means the act of jostling someone or something; push, shove.
jostle is pronounced /ˈd͡ʒɒs.əl/.
Why “jostle” is a great word
To bump, push, or shove roughly against someone or something while in motion, especially in a crowd. From the Middle English *justle*, a frequentative form of *jousten* ("to joust"), from the Old French *joster* ("to joust"), from the Latin *iuxtā* ("next to, near"), from *iungō* ("to join"). First recorded in 1350–1400. Unlike "shove," which is a single, decisive application of force, or "elbow," which is a specific, pointed intrusion, to jostle is the grammar of the crowd itself—a continuous, collective negotiation of space. It is the shudder of a subway car transferring its kinetic energy through a packed carriage, the anonymous pressure of shoulders on a festival street, or the chaotic ballet of bodies vying for a better view—a constant, low-grade reminder of our shared and contested physicality.
Etymology
Originally justle (“to have sex with”), formed from Middle English jousten, from the Old French joster (“to joust”), from Latin iuxtā (“next to”), from iungō (“join, connect”), equivalent to joust + -le.
noun
- The act of jostling someone or something; push, shove.
- The action of a jostling crowd.
verb
- To bump into or brush against while in motion; to push aside.
- To move through by pushing and shoving.e.g.“Axia and Amory, acquaintances of an hour, jostled behind a waiter to a table at a point of vantage; there they took seats and watched.”
- To be close to or in physical contact with.
- To contend or vie in order to acquire something.
- To pick or attempt to pick pockets.
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.
- tousle 82% match — To put into disorder; to tumble; to touse; to muss. vs jostle →
- joust 82% match — A tilting match: a mock combat between two mounted knights or men-at-arms using lances in the lists or enclosed field. vs jostle →
- restive 82% match — Impatient under delay, duress, or control. vs jostle →
- accost 81% match — To approach and speak to boldly or aggressively, as with a demand or request. vs jostle →
- obtrude 81% match — To proffer (something) by force; to impose (something) on someone or into some area. vs jostle →
- incommode 81% match — To make (someone) uncomfortable; to discomfort, to disturb, to trouble. vs jostle →
- impetuous 81% match — Making arbitrary decisions, especially in an impulsive and forceful manner. vs jostle →
- impulsion 81% match — The act of impelling or driving onward, or the state of being impelled; the sudden or momentary agency of a body in motion on another body; also, the impelling force, or impulse. vs jostle →