I. ˈjab, ˈjaa(ə)b verb
( jabbed ; jabbed ; jabbing ; jabs )
Etymology: alteration of job (to strike)
transitive verb
1.
a. : to pierce with or as if with something sharp : stab
got jabbed in the lower part of his chest, seriously if not fatally — Westminster Gazette
b. : to poke quickly or abruptly : thrust
jabbing the poker among the gray ashes — Rebecca Caudill
2. : to give a short straight blow to (as a boxing opponent) with the fist
intransitive verb
1. : to make quick or abrupt thrusts with something sharp
jabbed around with my spear, knocking off the stalks of dead mulleins — John Moore
took up his list of dates and jabbed at it with a pencil — Dorothy Sayers
2. : to strike a person with a short straight blow
hooking when he should have jabbed, … his head sometimes a craning target — Time
II. noun
( -s )
: an act of jabbing : a quick or abrupt thrust, stab, or punch ; specifically : a short straight punch in boxing delivered with the leading hand