jar
/dʒɑː(r)/ (bre, ipa) · /dʒɑːr/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈjär/ (ame, mw) · /dʒɑːr/ (bre, ipa)
jar — noun
1. A container made of glass or baked clay. It has a broad mouth that opens wide an
A container made of glass or baked clay. It has a broad mouth that opens wide and a tight-fitting lid that screws or snaps on. People keep foods like jam, honey, pickles, or sauce in jars to stop them from going bad.
Ritu opened a jar of strawberry jam to spread on her toast.
a jar of [food] — counting by container
The old clay jar on the shelf held dried beans and lentils.
In Taiwan, many kitchens have glass jars filled with pickled vegetables.
Christopher sealed the jar tightly after scooping out some honey.
Folake keeps her homemade chutney in a clean glass jar with a metal lid.
文法句型
a jar of [food]
用法筆記
When you refer to the container alone, use 'a jar' as a countable noun. To talk about the contents, use 'a jar of …' (see next sense).
常見錯誤
2. The amount of something that fills one jar. You use 'a jar of' plus a food or dr
The amount of something that fills one jar. You use 'a jar of' plus a food or drink to say how much you need or have used.
The recipe calls for a full jar of tomato sauce.
Sari bought two jars of baby food at the market yesterday.
countable: two jars of [food]
We used almost a whole jar of peanut butter making those cookies.
Marco added half a jar of honey to sweeten the tea.
文法句型
a jar of [food/drink]
用法筆記
The grammar pattern is always 'a jar of [something]' — the noun after 'of' specifies what is inside. This sense is only used when measuring or referring to the quantity, not when describing the container's material or shape.
3. An informal British term for an alcoholic drink served in a pub, most often a pi
An informal British term for an alcoholic drink served in a pub, most often a pint of beer shared with friends during a social outing after work or on a night out.
The group of colleagues stopped at the pub for a quick jar after work.
Karim said he was heading out for a jar with his old university friends.
informal: 'for a jar' = for a drink
The two friends sat in the corner of the bar, each nursing a jar of dark ale.
"Fancy a jar after the meeting?" Xiu asked her new colleague.
用法筆記
Very common in British informal speech but rare in American English. The word 'jar' here does not refer to the actual container — the beer is served in a pint glass, not a jar. Often used in the fixed phrase 'a jar' without specifying the type of beer.
4. A sudden, hard movement or shock that you feel when something hits, bumps, or st
A sudden, hard movement or shock that you feel when something hits, bumps, or stops abruptly — like the jolt you experience when a bus brakes too quickly or a heavy door slams shut.
The bus stopped suddenly, and Talia felt a sharp jar in her neck.
Every time the heavy train passed, the old house gave a small jar.
collocation: give a jar
The jar of the hard landing knocked a framed photo off the wall.
Reuben felt the jar travel up his arm when the hammer hit the metal post.
用法筆記
This sense is usually singular. It describes the physical sensation of a sudden impact, not an emotional shock. The related verb 'jar' (sense 1) describes the action that produces this effect.
jar — verb
1. To cause a sudden rough push or knock that makes an object or person shake or ch
To cause a sudden rough push or knock that makes an object or person shake or change position. When a heavy load hits the ground or a vehicle goes over a bump, it sends force through nearby things — for instance, a passing truck can rattle the windows of a house.
The explosion jarred the windows in every house on the street.
transitive: jar + object (windows)
Reuben accidentally jarred his elbow against the edge of the metal shelf.
The old floorboards jarred every time Elena walked across the room.
Nadia's heavy suitcase jarred the lift as it hit the bottom of the shaft.
文法句型
jar + object (transitive)
object + jars (intransitive)
用法筆記
This sense can be used both transitively (something jars an object) and intransitively (something jars). The transitive form is more common. The effect is always physical — the motion of one thing is transmitted to another through contact.
2. When a sound, sight, smell, or experience feels unpleasant because it is very di
When a sound, sight, smell, or experience feels unpleasant because it is very different from what you expect or from its surroundings — for example, hearing pop music at a quiet ceremony can jar your sense of what fits the occasion.
The loud pop music jarred against the peaceful mountain setting.
Ilan's bright orange tie jarred with the formal black suits at the funeral.
jar with [something] — clash in style or tone
The constant noise from the construction site jarred on Élise's nerves all morning.
Seeing modern art inside the old temple jarred with Joaquín's expectations.
The smell of cigarette smoke in the clean room jarred Sofie's senses.
- harmonise
things that harmonise go well together, the opposite of jarring
文法句型
something jars (on someone)
something jars with something
用法筆記
Subject is usually a sensory stimulus (sound, sight, smell, colour) or an experience. The verb takes an optional complement with 'with' to name the background it clashes against, or 'on' to name the person affected. Distinguish from sense 3: this sense focuses on unpleasant sensory effect, while sense 3 focuses on logical incompatibility.
3. To not fit or match well with something else, so that the two things feel like t
To not fit or match well with something else, so that the two things feel like they belong to different worlds. This can apply to ideas, opinions, styles, or ways of doing things — for instance, a strict rule can jar with a company's relaxed culture.
The new manager's ideas jarred with the team's traditional working methods.
jar with [something] — ideas in conflict
Karim's quiet personality jarred with the loud sales culture at the office.
The promise of low prices jars with the company's luxury brand image.
Professor Chen's relaxed teaching style jars with the school's strict discipline policy.
- conflict
stronger and more direct; conflict involves active opposition rather than simple mismatch
- contradict
logical; two statements contradict each other, but two styles 'jar'
- clash
the closest synonym; 'clash' suggests more active friction, 'jar' suggests awkward disharmony
文法句型
something jars with something
用法筆記
The subject is an idea, policy, style, approach, or behaviour — not a direct sensory stimulus. The preposition 'with' is almost always required. Distinguish from sense 2: sense 2 is about an unpleasant sensory experience; sense 3 is about logical contradiction or incompatibility of ideas or systems.