jab

See also: jäb’ and jabʼ

Translingual

Etymology

Clipping of English Jaba.

Symbol

jab

1. (international standards) ISO 639-3 language code for Hyam.

See also

• Wiktionary’s coverage of Hyam terms

English

Etymology

Originally a Scottish (unclear if Scots or Scottish English) form of English job (“peck, poke, thrust”), from Middle English jobben.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /d͡ʒæb/

• Audio (Australian):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -æb

Noun

jab (plural jabs)

1. A quick stab or blow; a poking or thrusting motion.
   • 1952, Bernard Malamud, The Natural, Chapter 9:

     He tore in for the ball, make a running jab for it and held it.

2. (boxing) A short straight punch.
   • 2011 December 18, Ben Dirs, “Carl Froch outclassed by dazzling Andre Ward”, in BBC Sport‎^[1], archived from the original on 10 April 2022:

     American Ward was too quick and too slick for his British rival, landing at will with razor sharp jabs and hooks and even bullying Froch at times.

3. (UK) A medical hypodermic injection (vaccination or inoculation).

   Our dog was exposed to rabies, so the whole family went to a clinic to get our jabs.

4. (UK, Australia, New Zealand, sometimes Philippines) A vaccination, whether or not delivered by means of a conventional injection.
   • 2017 June 28, Michelle Roberts, “Painless flu jab patch for people scared of injections”, in BBC News‎^[2], archived from the original on 3 August 2021:

     A 'painless' sticking plaster flu jab that delivers vaccine into the skin has passed important safety tests in the first trial in people.

5. (US, figurative) A mild verbal insult.

Derived terms

• anti-jabber
• counterjab
• jab artist
• jabber
• jabby
• jabless
• jab saw
• skinny jab
• terrorist fist jab

Translations

quick stab

• Bulgarian: рязък удар m (rjazǎk udar)
• Dutch: prik (nl) m
• Estonian: piste (et), torge
• Finnish: pisto (fi), sohaisu, tökkäys
• Georgian: დარტყმა (darṭq̇ma), ჩარტყმა (čarṭq̇ma), წიხლი (ka) (c̣ixli), პანღური (ṗanɣuri)
• Hungarian: döfés (hu)
• Irish: sáiteán m, sonc m
• Kazakh: нұқу (nūqu)
• Norwegian: stikk (no)
• Russian: уда́р (ru) m (udár), толчо́к (ru) m (tolčók) (push), пино́к (ru) m (pinók) (kick), джеб (ru) m (džeb) (boxing)
• Serbo-Croatian: ubod (sh) m
• Spanish: golpe abrupto m

(boxing) a short straight punch

• Arabic: لَكْمَة أَمَامِيَّة f (lakma(t) ʔamāmiyya)
• Armenian: please add this translation if you can
• Bulgarian: прав удар m (prav udar)
• Dutch: stoot (nl), stomp (nl), por (nl)
• French: jab (fr) m
• German: Gerade (de) f
• Hungarian: szúrás (hu)
• Irish: smitín m, dorn m, buille m
• Italian: dritto (it) m
• Japanese: please add this translation if you can
• Korean: please add this translation if you can
• Polish: cios prosty m
• Portuguese: direto (pt) m, cruzado (pt) m, jab (pt) m (MMA)
• Russian: джеб (ru) (džeb)
• Serbo-Croatian: kratki direkt m
• Spanish: directo (es) m, recto (es) m (MMA), jab (es) m
• Swedish: jabb c
• Thai: หมัดหน้า, หมัดแย็บ
• Ukrainian: please add this translation if you can

medical injection

• Bulgarian: инжекция (bg) f (inžekcija)
• Burmese: please add this translation if you can
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: please add this translation if you can

• Dutch: prik (nl) m or f
• Finnish: ruiske, pistos (fi), piikki (fi)
• French: piqûre (fr) f, injection (fr) f
• German: Injektion (de) f, subkutane Impfung f, Piks (de) m (coll.)
• Hindi: please add this translation if you can
• Hungarian: oltás (hu), injekció (hu)
• Indonesian: please add this translation if you can
• Irish: instealladh m
• Italian: puntura (it) f, iniezione (it) f
• Japanese: please add this translation if you can
• Khmer: ការចាក់ថ្នាំ (kaa cak thnam)
• Korean: please add this translation if you can
• Lao: please add this translation if you can
• Malay: please add this translation if you can
• Norwegian: stikk (no)
• Portuguese: injeção (pt) f
• Russian: уко́л (ru) m (ukól)
• Serbo-Croatian: injekcija (sh) f
• Spanish: pinchazo (es) m
• Swahili: sindano (sw)
• Swedish: spruta (sv) c, stick (sv) n
• Tamil: please add this translation if you can
• Thai: please add this translation if you can
• Vietnamese: please add this translation if you can

a verbal annoyance

• Azerbaijani: atmaca
• Finnish: piikki (fi), pisto (fi), sivallus
• French: pique (fr)
• German: Stichelei (de) f
• Greek:

  Ancient Greek: σκῶμμᾰ n (skômmă)

• Hungarian: csipkelődés (hu), kötekedés (hu)
• Kazakh: түйреу (tüireu), түйреп алу (tüirep alu), сөзбен түйреу (sözben tüireu), шағу (şağu), сөзбен шағу (sözben şağu)
• Latin: scōmma n
• Polish: zaczepka (pl) f
• Russian: ко́лкость (ru) f (kólkostʹ), шпи́лька (ru) f (špílʹka)
• Serbo-Croatian: zabadanje (sh) n
• Spanish: pulla (es) f, fisga (es) f, burla (es) f, chanza (es) f, mofa (es) f

Verb

jab (third-person singular simple present jabs, present participle jabbing, simple past and past participle jabbed)

1. To poke or thrust abruptly, or to make such a motion.

   Synonyms: job, stick; see also Thesaurus:stab

   • 1991, Etienne, “In Enemy Hands”, in Drummer‎^[3], number 151, archived from the original on 6 February 2026, page 32:

     A barely audible groan welled up in the Captain's throat as the grinning Freedom Fighter circled around behind the helpless American Soldier. The groan sputtered into a strangled, "No… no… don't.... " as Randall felt the juicy tip of the man's tumescent cock jab against his hair-ringed, virgin asshole.

2. To deliver a quick punch.
3. (slang, UK) To give someone an injection.
4. (slang) To vaccinate or inoculate someone.
5. To make fun of, to mock.
   • 2007, Joel A. Johnson, Beyond Practical Virtue: A Defense of Liberal Democracy Through Literature‎^[4], University of Missouri Press, →ISBN:

     While the book's lasting appeal is remarkable, the work is worth little scholarly attention insofar as Twain is merely jabbing at a long-dead set of social practices.

Derived terms

• double-jab
• jabbee
• jabber
• jabbingly

Translations

to poke or thrust abruptly

• Bulgarian: мушкам (bg) (muškam), ръгам (bg) (rǎgam), пробождам (bg) (proboždam)
• Dutch: steken (nl)
• Estonian: torkima
• Finnish: tökätä (fi), tökkäistä, survaista
• German: zustoßen (de)
• Irish: prioc, tabhair sonc do, tabhair priocadh do, sáigh (with a finger, tool, etc.), dírigh (with a finger, tool, etc.)
• Polish: bóść (pl) impf, bodnąć (pl) pf
• Russian: пырну́ть (ru) pf (pyrnútʹ) (with a knife), пихну́ть (ru) pf (pixnútʹ), ткнуть (ru) (tknutʹ)
• Serbo-Croatian: probosti (sh)
• Spanish: golpear (es), puyar (es)
• Turkish: saplamak (tr), sançmak (tr)

  Ottoman Turkish: دورتمك (dürtmek) (to poke); صاپلامق (saplamak) (to thrust)

to deliver a quick punch

• Armenian: please add this translation if you can
• Dutch: porren (nl)
• Finnish: pistää (fi), sohaista
• French: jaber (fr)
• Georgian: დარტყმა (darṭq̇ma)
• German: eine Gerade schlagen (boxing)
• Irish: tabhair smitín
• Japanese: please add this translation if you can
• Korean: please add this translation if you can
• Polish: uderzać (pl) impf, uderzać (pl) pf
• Portuguese: please add this translation if you can
• Russian: уда́рить (ru) pf (udáritʹ)
• Serbo-Croatian: udariti (sh)
• Spanish: please add this translation if you can
• Swedish: jabba
• Ukrainian: please add this translation if you can

(slang) to give someone an injection

• Armenian: please add this translation if you can
• Dutch: prikken (nl)
• Finnish: piikittää (fi)
• French: please add this translation if you can
• Georgian: please add this translation if you can
• German: piksen (de)
• Irish: insteall, tabhair instealladh do
• Japanese: please add this translation if you can
• Korean: please add this translation if you can
• Polish: wstrzykiwać (pl) impf, wstrzyknąć (pl) pf
• Portuguese: please add this translation if you can
• Russian: ширя́ть (ru) impf (širjátʹ), ширну́ть (ru) pf (širnútʹ)
• Serbo-Croatian: please add this translation if you can
• Spanish: please add this translation if you can
• Swedish: sticka (sv)
• Ukrainian: please add this translation if you can

to make fun of

See also

• jab jab
• jab molassie

References

• Douglas Harper (2001–2026), “jab”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.

Irish

Etymology

Borrowed from English job.

Noun

jab m (genitive singular jab, nominative plural jabanna)

1. job, piece of work
2. post, employment

Declension

Declension of jab (fourth declension)

bare forms singular plural nominative jab jabanna vocative a jab a jabanna genitive jab jabanna dative jab jabanna forms with the definite article singular plural nominative an jab na jabanna genitive an jab na jabanna dative leis an jab don jab leis na jabanna

Derived terms

• jabaire m (“(cattle-)jobber”)

References

• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977), “jab”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla [Irish–English Dictionary], Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN

Italian

Etymology

Borrowed from English jab.

Noun

jab m (invariable)

1. jab (boxing punch)

Marshallese

Pronunciation

• (phonetics) IPA^(key): [tʲɑpˠ]
• (phonemic) IPA^(key): /tʲæpˠ/
• Bender phonemes: {jab}

Adjective

jab

1. full of, fully

Adverb

jab

1. not ... the

Noun

jab

1. direction

Related terms

• jabjab
• likjab

References

• Abo, Takaji; Bender Byron W.; Capelle, Alfred; DeBrum, Tony (2009–), “jab”, in Marshallese–English Online Dictionary‎^[5]
• "jab" in The Dictionary at Marshallese.org

Somali

Etymology

Cognate with Baiso eebano, Jiiddu jhow (“piece”), Daasanach 'geb, Oromo cabuu, Konso qebsi.

Verb

jab (transitive jebi, verbal noun qayb, causative jabi, passive jaban, middle jabo)

1. (intransitive) break

References

• “jab”, in Qaamuuska Af-Soomaaliga, 2012

Spanish

Etymology

Borrowed from English jab.

Noun

jab m (plural jabs)

1. (boxing) jab