From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishjabjab1 /dʒæb/ verb (jabbed, jabbing) [intransitive, transitive] PUSHto push something into or towards something else with short quick movementsjab at She jabbed at the elevator buttons. When I didn’t respond, he jabbed a finger at me.jab somebody with something Stop jabbing me with your elbow!jab something into something The soldier jabbed a rifle into his ribs.→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
jab• The beat drops and Sister Souljah marches on, up and down the stage, jabbing at the audience with her finger.• Occasionally he would jab futilely at a passing luminous trail.• Connors jabbed his finger in the umpire's face.• I jab his fist, deflecting it as I shuffle back.• Your friend jabs his spear right at it, but he misses and the fish swims away.• Uh, jabbed myself on the corner, jabbed myself with the corner.• I jab smartly, snapping out into his unsuspecting face and make solid contact against his nose.• Selecting a clear-looking spot she jabbed the fork into the earth and stood on the crossbar.jab at• She jabbed at the buttons on the remote control.jabjab2 noun [countable] 1 PUSHa sudden hard hit, especially with a pointed object or your fist (=closed hand) a boxer with a good left jab2 something you say to criticize someone or something else White House officials took a sharp jab at the Democrats’ plan.3 British English informalDRUG an injection given to prevent you from catching a disease SYN shot a typhoid jabExamples from the Corpus
jab• He puts you to sleep with those little jabs.• Eventually she manages to deliver a particularly nasty jab and he goes up.• When the war ended he sought me out to offer me choice of jabs.• A combination of pressure from civil libertarians and right-wing militias, interesting left-right jabs...• Me thinking I'd probably got some filthy fever in spite of the jabs.• Council members took jabs and butted heads and bit off ears, figuratively speaking.• The other clawed into it, mercilessly pecking while its prey squawked with weakening jabs of its beak.left jab• His left jab might have been the cleanest scoring punch of the entire championships.• But they set up my left jab.• The left jab was a quick learn.• Then he called Rufus and told him to take the class through left jab, from the top.Origin jab1 (1800-1900) job “to jab” ((15-20 centuries)), probably copying the action 