jostles

Shoves in crowds

Jostles is the third-person singular of jostle, meaning to bump, push, or elbow someone, typically in a crowd: He jostles his way to the front.

The word suggests repeated small collisions rather than a single deliberate shove.

Figuratively, things jostle for position when they compete for attention or priority: Several urgent tasks jostle for her time.

crowd

elbow

Arm's middle joint

push · squeeze · press · bustle · throng · mob · commuters · rush · subway · queue

compete

vie

Contend for superiority

position · scramble · elbow · angle · fight · struggle · jockey · muscle · push · clamor

bump

collision

Forceful contact between objects

  • knockStrike-produced sound
  • jarWide-mouthed storage vessel
  • impactForceful contact or consequence

bang · thud · buffet · rattle · shake · bounce · lurch · judder · clatter · rock

unsettle

agitate

Disturb or provoke

disrupt · disconcert · fluster · unnerve · perturb · discompose · ruffle · disquiet · throw · startle

Opposites
physical contact and movement

jostlesglides

Moves smoothly, frictionlessly

gives way · flows · drifts · avoids · sidesteps

manner of interaction

jostlesmakes way

Clears passage for another

steps aside · yields · gives way · defers · accommodates

Family

jostle, jostling, jostled, jostlings

Familiarity
Top 200,000
Profile
Known to kids · Used worldwide · Timeless · Concrete · Everyday, not technical · Rated G