"jostle" means: To bump into or brush against while in motion; to push aside.. This is a fairly neutral word with no inherent risk attached. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than something dangerous. If your child uses it, context will usually make the meaning clear. A brief, curious question about where they heard it is generally enough to know whether to follow up.
jostle
(ambitransitive) To bump into or brush against while in motion; to push aside.
Definitions
#1·Apr 27, 2026
(ambitransitive) To bump into or brush against while in motion; to push aside.
Allow the person in front of you sufficient space to turn around from the bar with their drinks. Do not jostle past them.
Origin: Originally justle, formed from , from the , from , from iungō, equivalent to. Origin information sourced from Wiktionary contributors (CC BY-SA 4.0).
For parents
"jostle" means: To bump into or brush against while in motion; to push aside.. This is a fairly neutral word with no inherent risk attached. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than something dangerous. If your child uses it, context will usually make the meaning clear. A brief, curious question about where they heard it is generally enough to know whether to follow up.
For ESL learners
"jostle" means: To bump into or brush against while in motion; to push aside.. Register: neutral, standard English, usable in most everyday contexts. A common non-native mistake is to use the word in the wrong register, or to assume one fixed meaning when it is actually polysemous; always check the surrounding register and the audience before producing it yourself. In formal writing, prefer a neutral synonym or a short descriptive phrase, and use this word only when you have heard or read it being used naturally in a comparable context.
Heard in the wild
“I bet they put RFK behind Trump so he could jostle the chair to try and keep him awake.”
— Bluesky· May 2026
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#2·Apr 27, 2026
(intransitive) To move through by pushing and shoving.
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#3·Apr 27, 2026
(transitive) To be close to or in physical contact with.
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For specific readers
Why is this section here?
Slang is read by different audiences for very different reasons. The For parents view re-explains the term in plain, non-judgemental language so a caregiver can understand what their child means without needing the surrounding subculture. The For English learners view focuses on register (when it's safe to use), formal alternatives, and common mistakes — what a textbook won't teach you.
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