Verbs That Start With J

Where would we be without verbs in our sentences? There’d be nothing to propel our sentences into action. How would Joseph jostle his little sister? And how would Josephine jangle her bracelets? Read on to enjoy a long list of verbs that start with "j," as well as a short study on verbs.

50 Verbs Starting With J

Ready to explore "j" verbs? Below, you’ll find 50 of the most common verbs that start with "j," along with one of their definitions and a small selection of synonyms.

Verb	Definition	Synonym
jab	to poke or thrust	nudge, prod, stick
jabber	to talk quickly and babble nonsense	prattle, blather, chatter
jail	to put someone in a place they can’t get out of	imprison, detain, incarcerate
jam	to shove something in so it gets stuck	force, ram, cram
jam-pack	to crowd or pack to capacity	load, fill, at capacity
jangle	to make a harsh, inharmonious sound	chime, clang, clatter
jar	to shock, shake, vibrate, or quarrel	disturb, rattle, take by surprise
jaw	to talk quickly or to jabber	chatter, gab, chit-chat
jaywalk	to walk across a street in the middle of a block rather than at a crosswalk	crossing illegally, cutting across
jazz	to dress something up; make it fancy	embellish, deck out, spruce up
jeer	to make fun of in a mean or mocking way	heckle, ridicule, tease
jeopardize	to put someone or something in a dangerous situation	imperil, endanger, expose to risk
jerk	to pull, push, or throw in a sharp, sudden motion	lurch, wrench, thrust
jet	to travel by aircraft	zoom, fly, travel
jettison	to cast something aside or abandon it	abandon, discard, dump
jetwash	to remove something by spraying it with high-pressure water	pressure wash, spray, clean
jibe	to be in harmony, agreement, or accord	agree, square with, in sync
jig	to dance quickly by moving up and down in a lively way	jounce, bounce, hop
jiggle	to move in quick, slight jerks	agitate, bounce, shake
jilt	to treat someone badly, or reject a lover	abandon, betray, discard
jimmy	to pry open with a tool	prise, force, open
jingle	to create a sound by shaking small bells	clang, clatter, clink
jinx	to bring someone bad luck	curse, hex, bewitch
jitter	to be unsteady with small, rapid movements	quiver, tremble, agitate
jive	to talk in a way that is insincere or exaggerated to try to fool people	josh, jest, tease
jockey	to change position to get an advantage	maneuver, direct, guide
jog	to give a shake, shove or hint, as in to jog a person’s memory	activate, nudge, prompt
join	to bring or connect together	accompany, bind, yoke
joint	to combine or attach	fasten, connect, adhere
joke	to do or say something for fun	kid, tease, quip
jolt	an abrupt movement, or a shock	surprise, startle, upset
josh	to tease in a good-natured way	jest, jive, joke
jostle	to push and shove your way through a crowd	bulldoze, elbow, forge ahead
jot	to write something quickly	record, scribble, write
jounce	to move in an up and down manner	bounce, jolt, bump, knock
journal	to write observations or thoughts in a journal	document, report, record
journey	to travel	ramble, roam, wander
joust	to be in sport against another knight on horseback	tourney, spar, clash
joyride	to take a motor vehicle on an enjoyable ride	drive, cruise, travel
judder	to shake, wobble or vibrate	fluctuate, oscillate, pulse
judge	to decide on or form an opinion about	decide, deduce, assess
juggle	to manage various tasks at the same time	multitask, shuffle, deal with multiple tasks
juice	to get the liquid out of something	squeeze, extract, remove moisture
jumble	to confuse something, or mix something up	disorganize, confound, get out of order
jump	to bounce or spring from one surface to another	hop, leap, pounce
jumpstart	to start a car with a dead battery with jumper cables	boost, jump, kickstart
junk	to throw away or discard	abandon, dispose of, divest oneself of
justify	to provide an explanation for something to make it seem okay	explain, account for, rationalize
jut	to stick out	bulge, extend, protrude
juxtapose	to put two things close to each other in order to highlight the differences between them	pair, line up, place in proximity

Types of Verbs

Since verbs are such an important part of speech, it shouldn't be surprising to learn that there are several types of verbs. Three types, in particular, are true heavy lifters in spoken communication and writing.

action verb - Verbs that highlight things you can do are action verbs. If something scares you and causes you to jitter, that is a specific action. If you tell someone you are going to jinx them, this also describes a specific action. There are more action verbs in the English language than any other kind of verb.
linking verb - Linking verbs don’t describe any action. Rather, they connect the subject of the sentence to additional information, which does not have to be a verb. Linking verbs are often “to be” verbs, including “am,” “is,” “are,” and “were.” An example would be, “The juice was just delicious.” Here, “was” is a linking verb.
helping verb - Verbs that assist the main verb by extending its meaning are helping verbs. The word "is" is a helping verb. Consider the following sentence: “Jennifer is justifying spending money on a juicer." The word “is” can also function as a helping verb to the main (action) verb “justifying,” which just happens to be a "j" verb.

10 Example Sentences Featuring J-Verbs

Sentences typically follow a basic pattern: subject + verb + direct object, with action verbs indicating the sentence’s action. As such, they put the subject of the sentence into motion. In the sentence, “Jordan juxtaposed two contrasting petals in her recent painting,” “Jordan” is the subject, “juxtaposed” is the verb, and “petals” is the direct object. Take a look at how how "j" verbs can join with other words to form sentences.

Her favorite character in the book really loves to jabber.
We know she’s coming in when we hear the keys jangle in the door.
He’ll never jeopardize the company's relationship with a customer.
Let’s jet off to San Tropez together.
That color really doesn’t jibe with the theme in our apartment.
He knows how to jimmy open a door with a credit card.
Don’t jostle the baby!
They love to journal about their travels.
He doesn’t like to judge school contests.
She loves to juxtapose two contrasting pieces of art.

Jump for J, But Keep Moving Forward

Now that you've explored verbs that start with "j," consider how powerful words that start with "j" can really be. They can activate sentences as a verb; indicate people, places, and things as a noun and even modify nouns as part of an adjective phrase. For more on that, explore 50 nouns that start with "j." Then, check out some "j" adjectives, too. Next, refocus on verbs and move on to the next letter in the alphabet by exploring verbs that begin with "k."