Words / C1

JOSL/ˈdʒɒsl/

To jostle is to push against people in a crowd, or to compete hard for attention or resources: jostle for position, jostled in the corridor. Push is everyday; compete is wider and calmer. Joust is medieval combat — a lookalike. Do not jostle a fire-exit queue.

Meaning

To push roughly in a crowd, or to compete hard for something.

Examples

• “Three bids jostled for the same tiny marking budget.”
• “Push is everyday. Elbow your way is informal. Compete can be polite; jostle is physical or sharply competitive. A joust is knights. A fire door is not a scrum.”

Good to know

Push / compete for space. Everyday: push / compete. Mix-up: joust (knights). Not a fire-exit queue.

Near in meaning

push

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