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jab

/d͡ʒæb/noun, verb

jab is spelled J-A-B: 3 letters and one syllable. It appears 2.2 times per million words in written English, the 18,297th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, jab means “A quick stab or blow; a poking or thrusting motion” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of jab is jabs.

How many letters and syllables are in jab?

Letters3: J-A-B
Syllables1 (from its American pronunciation)
In writing2.2 times per million words; the 18,297th most frequent word form
Wrong spellings searchednone measured in search

Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).

How common is jab?

Jab appears 2.2 times per million words in written English, the 18,297th most frequent word form in the list.

Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).

How do you pronounce jab?

  • /d͡ʒæb/

Jab has one syllable (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-au-jab.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).

Forms of jab

  • jabs plural, present, singular, he/she/it
  • jabbing participle, present
  • jabbed participle, past

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What does jab mean?

The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).

noun

  1. 1

    A quick stab or blow; a poking or thrusting motion.

  2. 2

    A short straight punch.

  3. 3

    UKA 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. 4

    AustraliaUKA vaccination, whether or not delivered by means of a conventional injection.

  5. 5

    USA mild verbal insult.

verb

  1. 1

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

  2. 2

    To deliver a quick punch.

  3. 3

    UKslangTo give someone an injection.

  4. 4

    slangTo vaccinate or inoculate someone.

  5. 5

    To make fun of, to mock.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

Jab in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese

LanguageWords
Spanishgolpe abrupto (quick stab), directo, recto (MMA), jab ((boxing) a short straight punch), pinchazo (medical injection), pulla (a verbal annoyance)
Frenchjab ((boxing) a short straight punch), piqûre, injection (medical injection), pique (a verbal annoyance), jaber (to deliver a quick punch)
GermanGerade ((boxing) a short straight punch), Injektion, subkutane Impfung, Piks (medical injection), Stichelei (a verbal annoyance), zustoßen (to poke or thrust abruptly)
Portuguesedireto, cruzado, jab (MMA) ((boxing) a short straight punch), injeção (medical injection)

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.

Where does jab come from?

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

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

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