jo ['jō] -n

  1. sweetheart, dear

Jo -abbr

  1. Joel

job ['jäb] -n

  1. a piece of work
  2. a small miscellaneous piece of work undertaken on order at a stated rate
  3. the object or material on which work is being done
  4. something produced by or as if by work
    • did a nice job
  5. an example of a usu. specified type : item
    • the limousine was a long white job
  6. something done for private advantage
    • the whole incident was a put-up job
  7. a criminal enterprise
  8. robbery
  9. a damaging or destructive bit of work
    • did a job on him
  10. something that has to be done : task
  11. an undertaking requiring unusual exertion
    • it was a real job to talk over that noise
  12. a specific duty, role, or function
  13. a regular remunerative position
  14. state of affairs usu. used with bad or good
    • it was a good job you didn't hit the old man -- E. L. Thomas
  15. plastic surgery for cosmetic purposes
    • a nose job
  16. to do odd or occasional pieces of work for hire
  17. to carry on public business for private gain
  18. to carry on the business of a middleman or wholesaler
  19. to buy and sell (as stock) for profit : speculate
  20. to hire or let by the job or for a period of service
  21. to get, deal with, or effect by jobbery
  22. to do or cause to be done by separate portions or lots : subcontract often used with out
  23. to penalize or deprive unfairly
  24. that is for hire for a given service or period
  25. used in, engaged in, or done as job work
    • a job shop
  26. of or relating to a job or to employment
    • a guarantee of job security

Job ['jōb] -n

  1. the hero of the book of Job who endures afflictions with fortitude and faith
  2. a narrative and poetic book of canonical Jewish and Christian Scripture

job action -n

  1. a temporary action (as a slowdown) by workers as a protest and means of forcing compliance with demands

job·ber ['jä-bər] -n

  1. : one that jobs: as
  2. wholesaler
  3. a wholesaler who operates on a small scale or who sells only to retailers and institutions
  4. stockjobber
  5. a person who works by the job

job·bery ['jä-b(ə-)rē] -n

  1. the act or practice of jobbing
  2. corruption in public office

jobbing -adj

  1. working occasionally at separate short jobs

job·hold·er ['jäb-,hōl-dər] -n

  1. a person having a regular job

jobhop·ping [-,hä-piŋ] -n

  1. the practice of moving from job to job

job·less ['jäb-ləs] -adj, n

  1. having no job
  2. of or relating to those having no job
    • jobless benefits

job lot -n

  1. a miscellaneous collection of goods for sale as a lot usu. to a retailer
  2. a miscellaneous and usu. inferior collection or group

Job's comforter ['jōbz-] -n

  1. a person who discourages or depresses while seemingly giving comfort and consolation

Job's tears -n pl

  1. hard usu. pearly white seeds of a tropical southeast Asian grass ( Coix lacryma-jobi) often used as beads
  2. the grass producing Job's tears

Jo·cas·ta [jō-'kas-tə] -n

  1. a queen of Thebes who marries Oedipus not knowing that he is her son

jock ['jäk] -n

  1. jockey
  2. disc jockey
  3. athletic supporter
  4. athlete
  5. a school or college athlete
  6. pilot
  7. a fighter pilot
  8. a person devoted to a single pursuit or interest
    • computer jock s

jock·ey ['jä-kē] -n

  1. a person who rides or drives a horse esp. as a professional in a race
  2. a person who operates or works with a specified vehicle, device, object, or material
    • a bus jockey
    • pencil jockey s

jockey -vb

  1. to deal shrewdly or fraudulently with
  2. to ride or drive (a horse) as a jockey
  3. drive, operate
  4. to maneuver or manipulate by adroit or devious means
    • was jockey ed out of the job
  5. to change the position of by a series of movements
    • jockey a truck into position
  6. to act as a jockey
  7. to maneuver for advantage often used in the phrase jockey for position

jockey club -n

  1. an association for the promotion and regulation of horse racing

jock itch -n

  1. tinea cruris

jock·strap ['jäk-,strap] -n

  1. athletic supporter

jo·cose [jō-'kōs, jə-] -adj, adv, n

  1. given to joking : merry
  2. characterized by joking : humorous

joc·u·lar ['jä-kyə-lər] -adj, n, adv

  1. given to jesting : habitually jolly or jocund
  2. characterized by jesting : playful

jo·cund ['jä-kənd also 'jō-(,)kənd] -adj, n, adv

  1. marked by or suggestive of high spirits and lively mirthfulness
    • a poet could not but be gay, in such a jocund company -- William Wordsworth

jodh·pur ['jäd-(,)pər] -n

  1. riding breeches cut full through the hips and close-fitting from knee to ankle
  2. an ankle-high boot fastened with a strap that is buckled at the side called also jodhpur boot

joe ['jō] -n

  1. fellow, guy
    • an average joe
  2. coffee

Joe Blow -n

  1. an average or ordinary man

Jo·el ['jō(-ə)l] -n

  1. the traditionally assumed author of the book of Joel
  2. a narrative and apocalyptic book of canonical Jewish and Christian Scripture

joepye weed ['jō-'pī-] -n

  1. any of several tall No. American perennial composite herbs (esp. Eupatorium maculatumand E. purpureum) with whorled leaves and corymbose heads of typically purplish tubular flowers

Joe SixPack -n

  1. an ordinary man
  2. a blue-collar worker

jo·ey ['jō-ē] -n

  1. a baby animal
  2. a baby kangaroo

jog ['jäg, 'jȯg] -vb, n

  1. to give a slight shake or push to : nudge
  2. to rouse to alertness
    • jogged his memory
  3. to cause (as a horse) to go at a jog
  4. to align the edges of (piled sheets of paper) by hitting or shaking against a flat surface
  5. to move up and down or about with a short heavy motion
    • his...holster jogging against his hip -- Thomas Williams
  6. to run or ride at a slow trot
  7. to go at a slow, leisurely, or monotonous pace : trudge
  8. a slight shake : nudge
  9. a movement, pace, or instance of jogging (as for exercise)
  10. a horse's slow measured trot
  11. a projecting or retreating part (as of a line or surface)
  12. the space in the angle of a jog
  13. a brief abrupt change in direction
  14. to make a jog
    • the road jog s to the right

jog·gle ['jä-gəl] -vb, n

  1. to shake slightly
  2. to move shakily or jerkily

joggle -n

  1. jog
  2. a notch or tooth in a joining surface (as of a piece of building material) to prevent slipping
  3. a dowel for joining two adjacent blocks of masonry
  4. to join by means of a joggle so as to prevent sliding apart

jog trot -n

  1. jog
  2. a routine habit or course of action

Jo·han·nine [jō-'ha-,nīn, -nən] -adj

  1. of, relating to, or characteristic of the apostle John or the New Testament books ascribed to him

Jo·han·nis·berg Riesling [yō-'hä-nəs-,berg-] -n

  1. a Riesling produced in the U.S. (as in California)

john ['jän] -n

  1. toilet
  2. a prostitute's client

John ['jän] -n

  1. a Jewish prophet who according to Gospel accounts foretold Jesus' messianic ministry and baptized him called also John the Baptist
  2. an apostle who according to various Christian traditions wrote the fourth Gospel, the three Johannine Epistles, and the Book of Revelation
  3. the fourth Gospel in the New Testament
  4. any of three short didactic letters addressed to early Christians and included in the New Testament

John Barleycorn -n

  1. alcoholic liquor personified

john·boat ['jän-,bōt] -n

  1. a narrow flat-bottomed square-ended boat usu. propelled by a pole or paddle and used on inland waterways

John Bull [-'bu̇l] -n, adj

  1. the English nation personified : the English people
  2. a typical Englishman

John Doe [-'dō] -n

  1. a party to legal proceedings whose true name is unknown
  2. an average man

John Do·ry [-'dȯr-ē] -n

  1. a widely distributed marine food fish ( Zeus faberof the family Zeidae) that is yellow to olive in color with a dark spot on each side and has an oval compressed body and long dorsal spines

Joh·ne's disease ['yō-nəz-] -n

  1. a chronic often fatal contagious enteritis of ruminants and esp. of cattle that is caused by a bacterium ( Mycobacterium paratuberculosis) and is characterized by persistent diarrhea and gradual emaciation

John Han·cock ['jän-'han-,käk] -n

  1. an autograph signature

John Hen·ry [-'hen-rē] -n

  1. an autograph signature

John Mark -n

  1. mark

john·ny ['jä-nē] -n

  1. fellow, guy
  2. a short-sleeved collarless gown that is open in the back and is worn by persons (as hospital patients) undergoing medical examination or treatment

john·ny·cake ['jä-nē-,kāk] -n

  1. a bread made with cornmeal

John·nycomelate·ly ['jä-nē-(,)kəm-'lāt-lē] -n

  1. a late or recent arrival : newcomer
  2. upstart
    • established families tend to hold themselves above the Johnny-come-latelies -- William Zeckendorf 1976

John·nyjumpup [,jä-nē-'jəmp-,əp] -n

  1. a common cultivated European viola ( Viola tricolor) which has short-spurred flowers usu. blue or purple mixed with white and yellow and from which most of the garden pansies are derived
  2. any of various small-flowered cultivated pansies
  3. any of various American violets

John·nyonthespot ['jä-nē-,ȯn-thə-'spät, -,än-] -n

  1. a person who is on hand and ready to perform a service or respond to an emergency

Johnny Reb [-'reb] -n

  1. a Confederate soldier

john·son ['jän(t)-sən] -n

  1. penis

John·son·ese [,jän(t)-sə-'nēz, -'nēs] -n

  1. a literary style characterized by balanced phraseology and Latinate diction

john·son·grass ['jän(t)-sən-,gras] -n

  1. a tall perennial sorghum ( Sorghum halepense) orig. of the Mediterranean region that is widely used for forage in warm areas and often becomes naturalized as a weed

joie de vi·vre [,zhwä-də-'vēvrᵊ] -n

  1. keen or buoyant enjoyment of life

join ['jȯin] -vb, adj

  1. to put or bring together so as to form a unit
    • join two blocks of wood with glue
  2. to connect (as points) by a line
  3. adjoin
  4. to put or bring into close association or relationship
    • join ed in marriage
  5. to engage in (battle)
  6. to come into the company of
    • join ed us for lunch
  7. to associate oneself with
    • join ed the church
  8. to come together so as to be connected
    • nouns join to form compounds
  9. adjoin
    • the two estates join
  10. : to come into close association or relationship: as
  11. to form an alliance
  12. to become a member of a group
  13. to take part in a collective activity
    • join in singing
  14. joint
  15. union

join·der ['jȯin-dər] -n

  1. conjunction
  2. a joining of parties as plaintiffs or defendants in a suit
  3. a joining of causes of action or defense
  4. acceptance of an issue tendered

join·er ['jȯi-nər] -n

  1. : one that joins: as
  2. a person whose occupation is to construct articles by joining pieces of wood
  3. a gregarious or civic-minded person who joins many organizations

join·ery ['jȯi-nə-rē, 'jȯin-rē] -n

  1. the art or trade of a joiner
  2. work done by a joiner

join·ing ['jȯi-niŋ] -n

  1. the act or an instance of joining one thing to another : juncture
  2. the place or manner of being joined together
  3. something that joins two things together

joint ['jȯint] -n, adj, adv

  1. the point of contact between elements of an animal skeleton with the parts that surround and support it
  2. node
  3. a part or space included between two articulations, knots, or nodes
  4. a large piece of meat for roasting
  5. a place where two things or parts are joined
  6. a space between the adjacent surfaces of two bodies joined and held together (as by cement or mortar)
  7. a fracture or crack in rock not accompanied by dislocation
  8. the flexing part of a cover along either spine edge of a book
  9. the junction of two or more members of a framed structure
  10. a union formed by two abutting rails in a track including the elements (as bars and bolts) necessary to hold the abutting rails together
  11. an area at which two ends, surfaces, or edges are attached
  12. a shabby or disreputable place of entertainment
  13. place, establishment
  14. prison
  15. a marijuana cigarette
  16. united, combined
    • the joint influences of culture and climate
  17. : common to two or more: as
  18. involving the united activity of two or more
    • a joint effort
  19. constituting an activity, operation, or organization in which elements of more than one armed service participate
    • joint maneuvers
  20. constituting an action or expression of two or more governments
    • joint peace talks
  21. shared by or affecting two or more
    • a joint fine
  22. united, joined, or sharing with another (as in a right or status)
    • joint heirs
  23. being a function of or involving two or more variables and esp. random variables
  24. to separate the joints of (as meat)
  25. to unite by a joint : fit together
  26. to provide with a joint : articulate
  27. to prepare (as a board) for joining by planing the edge
  28. to fit as if by joints
    • the stones joint neatly
  29. to form joints as a stage in growth used esp. of small grains

Joint Chiefs of Staff

  1. a military advisory group composed of the chiefs of staff of the army and air force, the chief of naval operations, and sometimes the commandant of the marine corps

joint compound -n

  1. a compound made of gypsum, clay, and latex resin that is used to seal wall joints or fill shallow holes

joint·er ['jȯin-tər] -n

  1. one that joints
  2. any of various tools used in preparing wood (as for a joint)

joint resolution -n

  1. a resolution passed by both houses of a legislative body that has the force of law when signed by or passed over the veto of the executive

join·tress ['jȯin-trəs] -n

  1. a woman having a legal jointure

jointstock company -n

  1. a company or association consisting of individuals organized to conduct a business for gain and having a joint stock of capital represented by shares owned individually by the members and transferable without the consent of the group

join·ture ['jȯin-chər] -n

  1. an act of joining : the state of being joined
  2. joint
  3. an estate settled on a wife to be taken by her in lieu of dower
  4. a settlement on the wife of a freehold estate for her lifetime

joint·worm ['jȯint-,wərm] -n

  1. the larva of any of several small chalcid wasps (genus Harmolita) that attacks the stems of grain and causes swellings like galls at or just above the first joint

joist ['jȯist] -n

  1. any of the small timbers or metal beams ranged parallel from wall to wall in a structure to support a floor or ceiling

jo·jo·ba [hə-'hō-bə] -n

  1. a shrub or small tree ( Simmondsia chinensissyn. S. californica) of the box family of southwestern No. America with edible seeds that yield a valuable liquid wax used esp. in cosmetics

joke ['jōk] -n

  1. something said or done to provoke laughter
  2. a brief oral narrative with a climactic humorous twist
  3. the humorous or ridiculous element in something
  4. an instance of jesting : kidding
    • can't take a joke
  5. practical joke
  6. laughingstock
  7. something not to be taken seriously : a trifling matter
    • consider his skiing a joke -- Harold Callender
    often used in negative constructions
    • it is no joke to be lost in the desert
  8. to make jokes : jest
  9. to make the object of a joke : kid

jok·er ['jō-kər] -n

  1. a person given to joking : wag
  2. fellow, guy
  3. an insignificant, obnoxious, or incompetent person
    • a shame to let a joker like this win -- Harold Robbins
  4. a playing card added to a pack as a wild card or as the highest-ranking card
  5. an ambiguous or apparently immaterial clause inserted in a legislative bill to make it inoperative or uncertain in some respect
  6. an unsuspected, misleading, or misunderstood clause, phrase, or word in a document that nullifies or greatly alters it
  7. something (as an expedient or stratagem) held in reserve to gain an end or escape from a predicament
  8. an unsuspected or not readily apparent fact, factor, or condition that thwarts or nullifies a seeming advantage

joke·ster ['jōk-stər] -n

  1. joker 1

jok·ey ['jō-kē] -adj, adv, n

  1. given to joking
  2. humorous, comical
  3. amusingly ridiculous : laughable

jol·li·fi·ca·tion [,jä-li-fə-'kā-shən] -n

  1. festivity, merrymaking

jol·li·ty ['jä-lə-tē] -n

  1. the quality or state of being jolly : merriment
  2. a festive gathering

jol·ly ['jä-lē] -adj

  1. full of high spirits : joyous
  2. given to conviviality : jovial
  3. expressing, suggesting, or inspiring gaiety : cheerful
  4. extremely pleasant or agreeable : splendid

jolly -adv

  1. very
    • would...do as they were jolly well told -- John Stockbridge
  2. to engage in good-natured banter
  3. to put or try to put in good humor esp. to gain an end
  4. a good time : jollification
  5. kicks
    • get their jollies by reenacting famous murders -- H. F. Waters

jol·ly boat ['jä-lē-] -n

  1. a ship's boat of medium size used for general-purpose work

Jol·ly Rog·er ['jä-lē-'rä-jər] -n

  1. a black flag with a white skull and crossbones formerly used by pirates as their ensign

jolt ['jōlt] -vb, n

  1. to cause to move with a sudden jerky motion
  2. to give a knock or blow to
  3. to jar with a quick or hard blow
  4. to disturb the composure of : shock
    • crudely jolt ed out of that mood -- Virginia Woolf
  5. to interfere with roughly, abruptly, and disconcertingly
    • determination to pursue his own course was jolt ed badly -- F. L. Paxson
  6. to move with a sudden jerky motion
  7. an abrupt sharp jerky blow or movement
  8. a sudden feeling of shock, surprise, or disappointment
  9. an event or development causing such a feeling
    • the defeat was quite a jolt
  10. a serious check or reverse
    • a severe financial jolt
  11. a small potent or bracing portion
    • a jolt of horseradish

joltwag·on ['jōlt-,wa-gən] -n

  1. a farm wagon

jo·mon ['jō-,män] -adj

  1. of, relating to, or typical of a Japanese cultural period from about the fifth or fourth millennium b.c.to about 200 b.c.and characterized by elaborately ornamented hand-formed unglazed pottery

Jon -abbr

  1. Jonah; Jonas

Jo·nah ['jō-nə, 3 is also -nər] -n

  1. an Israelite prophet who according to the account in the book of Jonah resisted a divine call to preach repentance to the people of Nineveh, was swallowed and vomited by a great fish, and eventually carried out his mission
  2. a narrative book of canonical Jewish and Christian Scripture
  3. one believed to bring bad luck

Jo·nas ['jō-nəs] -n

  1. jonah

Jon·a·than ['jä-nə-thən] -n

  1. a son of Saul and friend of David according to the account in I Samuel
  2. american
  3. a New Englander
  4. a medium-sized red-skinned apple

jones ['jōnz] -n

  1. habit, addiction
  2. addiction to heroin
  3. heroin
  4. an avid desire or appetite for something : craving
  5. to have a strong desire or craving for something
    • he was jones ing for a drink

jon·gleur [zhōⁿ-'glər] -n

  1. an itinerant medieval entertainer proficient in juggling, acrobatics, music, and recitation

jon·quil ['jän-kwəl, 'jäŋ-] -n

  1. a Mediterranean perennial bulbous herb ( Narcissus jonquilla) of the amaryllis family with long linear leaves that is widely cultivated for its yellow or white fragrant short-tubed clustered flowers

Jor·dan almond ['jȯr-dᵊn-] -n

  1. a large Spanish almond esp. when salted or coated with sugar of various colors

Jor·dan curve [zhȯr-'däⁿ-, 'jȯr-dᵊn-] -n

  1. simple closed curve

Jordan curve theorem -n

  1. a fundamental theorem of topology: every simple closed curve divides the plane into two regions for which it is the common boundary

jo·rum ['jȯr-əm] -n

  1. a large drinking vessel or its contents

jo·seph ['jō-zəf also -səf] -n

  1. a son of Jacob who according to the account in Genesis rose to high political office in Egypt after being sold into slavery by his brothers
  2. the husband of Mary the mother of Jesus according to the Gospel accounts
  3. a long cloak worn esp. by women in the 18th century

Jo·seph·ite ['jō-zə-,fīt, -sə-] -n

  1. a member of St. Joseph's Society of the Sacred Heart founded in 1871 in Baltimore, Md. and devoted to missionary work among black Americans

Joseph of Ar·i·ma·thea [-,a-rə-mə-'thē-ə]

  1. a rich councillor of the Sanhedrin who according to the Gospel accounts placed the body of Jesus in his own tomb and according to medieval legend took the Holy Grail to England

Jo·seph·son junction ['jō-zəf-sən- also -səf-sən-] -n

  1. an electronic fast-switching device that consists of two layers of superconducting metal separated by a thin layer of insulator through which low current flows but increased current causes the insulator to block the flow

josh ['jäsh] -vb, n

  1. to engage in banter : joke
  2. to tease good-naturedly : kid
  3. a good-humored joke : jest

Josh -abbr

  1. Joshua

Josh·ua ['jä-sh(ə-)wə] -n

  1. the divinely commissioned successor of Moses and military leader of the Israelites during the conquest of Canaan according to the account in the book of Joshua
  2. a mainly narrative book of canonical Jewish and Christian Scripture

Joshua tree -n

  1. a tall branched arborescent yucca ( Yucca brevifolia) of arid regions of the southwestern U.S. that has clustered greenish-white flowers

joss ['jäs, 'jȯs] -n

  1. a Chinese idol or cult image

joss house -n

  1. a Chinese temple or shrine

joss stick -n

  1. a slender stick of incense burned in front of a joss

jos·tle ['jä-səl] -vb

  1. to come in contact or into collision
  2. to make one's way by pushing and shoving
    • jostling toward the exit
  3. to exist in close proximity
  4. to vie in gaining an objective : contend
    • jostled to get a glimpse of the celebrity
  5. to come in contact or into collision with
  6. to force by pushing : elbow
  7. to stir up : agitate
    • thunder jostled us awake
  8. to exist in close proximity with
  9. to vie with in attaining an objective

jostle -n

  1. a jostling encounter or experience
  2. the state of being crowded or jostled together

Jos·ue ['jä-shü-(,)ē] -n

  1. joshua

jot ['jät] -n

  1. the least bit : iota
  2. to write briefly or hurriedly : set down in the form of a note
    • jot this down

jotting -n

  1. a brief note : memorandum

Jo·tun ['yō-tᵊn, -,tu̇n] -n

  1. a member of a race of giants in Norse mythology

Jo·tun·heim [-,hīm, -,hām] -n

  1. the home of the Jotuns in Norse mythology

jou·al [zhü-'al, -'äl] -n

  1. spoken Canadian French
  2. the local forms of the spoken French of Quebec that differ the most from prescribed forms

joule ['jül also ÷'jau̇(-ə)l] -n

  1. a unit of work or energy equal to the work done by a force of one newton acting through a distance of one meter

jounce ['jau̇n(t)s] -vb

  1. to move in an up-and-down manner : bounce
  2. to cause to jounce
  3. jolt

jouncy ['jau̇n(t)-sē] -adj

  1. marked by a jouncing motion or effect

jour -abbr

  1. journal
  2. journeyman

jour·nal ['jər-nᵊl] -n

  1. a record of current transactions
  2. a book of original entry in double-entry bookkeeping
  3. an account of day-to-day events
  4. a record of experiences, ideas, or reflections kept regularly for private use
  5. a record of transactions kept by a deliberative or legislative body
  6. log
  7. log
  8. a daily newspaper
  9. a periodical dealing esp. with matters of current interest
  10. the part of a rotating shaft, axle, roll, or spindle that turns in a bearing

journal box -n

  1. a metal housing used to support and protect a journal bearing

jour·nal·ese [,jər-nə-'lēz, -'lēs] -n

  1. a style of writing held to be characteristic of newspapers

jour·nal·ism ['jər-nə-,li-zəm] -n

  1. the collection and editing of news for presentation through the media
  2. the public press
  3. an academic study concerned with the collection and editing of news or the management of a news medium
  4. writing designed for publication in a newspaper or magazine
  5. writing characterized by a direct presentation of facts or description of events without an attempt at interpretation
  6. writing designed to appeal to current popular taste or public interest

jour·nal·ist [-nə-list] -n

  1. a person engaged in journalism
  2. a writer or editor for a news medium
  3. a writer who aims at a mass audience
  4. a person who keeps a journal

jour·nal·is·tic [,jər-nə-'lis-tik] -adj, adv

  1. of, relating to, or characteristic of journalism or journalists
    • journalistic principles

jour·nal·ize ['jər-nə-,līz] -vb, n

  1. to record in a journal
  2. to keep a journal in accounting
  3. to keep a personal journal

jour·ney ['jər-nē] -n

  1. an act or instance of traveling from one place to another : trip
  2. a day's travel
  3. something suggesting travel or passage from one place to another
    • the journey from youth to maturity
    • a journey through time

journey -vb, n

  1. to go on a journey : travel
  2. to travel over or through

jour·ney·man [-mən] -n

  1. a worker who has learned a trade and works for another person usu. by the day
  2. an experienced reliable worker, athlete, or performer esp. as distinguished from one who is brilliant or colorful
    • a good journeyman trumpeter -- New Yorker
    • a journeyman outfielder

jour·ney·work [-,wərk] -n

  1. work done by a journeyman
  2. hackwork

joust ['jau̇st sometimes 'jəst or 'jüst] -vi, n

  1. to fight on horseback as a knight or man-at-arms
  2. to engage in combat with lances on horseback
  3. to engage in combat or competition as if in a joust
    • joust ing debaters
    • joust ing bighorn rams
  4. a combat on horseback between two knights with lances esp. as part of a tournament
  5. tournament
  6. a personal combat or competition : struggle

Jove ['jōv] -n

  1. jupiter often used interjectionally to express surprise or agreement esp. in the phrase by Jove

jo·vial ['jō-vē-əl, -vyəl] -adj, n, adv

  1. of or relating to Jove
  2. markedly good-humored esp. as evidenced by jollity and conviviality

Jo·vi·an ['jō-vē-ən] -adj

  1. of, relating to, or characteristic of the god or planet Jupiter

jow ['jau̇] -n

  1. stroke, toll

jo·war [jə-'wär] -n

  1. durra

jowl ['jau̇(-ə)l sometimes 'jōl] -n

  1. a cut of fish consisting of the head and usu. adjacent parts
  2. usu. slack flesh (as a dewlap, wattle, or the pendulous part of a double chin) associated with the cheeks, lower jaw, or throat
  3. jaw
  4. mandible
  5. one of the lateral halves of the mandible
  6. cheek
  7. the cheek meat of a hog

jowly ['jau̇-lē sometimes 'jō-] -adj

  1. having marked jowls : having full or saggy flesh about the lower cheeks and jaw area
    • elderly man with a disillusioned jowly face -- John Dos Passos

joy ['jȯi] -n, adj, adv

  1. the emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune or by the prospect of possessing what one desires : delight
  2. the expression or exhibition of such emotion : gaiety
  3. a state of happiness or felicity : bliss
  4. a source or cause of delight
  5. to experience great pleasure or delight : rejoice
  6. gladden
  7. enjoy

joy·ance ['jȯi-ən(t)s] -n

  1. delight, enjoyment

joy·ful ['jȯi-fəl] -adj, adv, n

  1. experiencing, causing, or showing joy : happy

joy·ous ['jȯi-əs] -adj, adv, n

  1. joyful

joy·pop ['jȯi-,päp] -vi, n

  1. to use habit-forming drugs occasionally or irregularly without becoming addicted

joy·ride ['jȯi-,rīd] -n, vi

  1. a ride taken for pleasure (as in a car or aircraft)
  2. an automobile ride marked by reckless driving (as in a stolen car)
  3. conduct or action resembling a joyride esp. in disregard of cost or consequences

joy·stick [-,stik] -n

  1. a lever in an airplane that operates the elevators by a fore-and-aft motion and the ailerons by a side-to-side motion
  2. a control for any of various devices (as a computer) that resembles an airplane's joystick esp. in being capable of motion in two or more directions