jump-scare

A form of jump scare — A sudden, unexpected and startling event in media designed to frighten the audience.

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Meanings

nounjump-scare (plural jump-scares)

plural jump-scares

  1. alternativeAlternative form of jump scare.

    Walking through the dark, I felt like I was drawing to a movie jump-scare.

    2013, Scot Sotherrn, Cub Service: A Memoir, Soft Skull Press, →ISBN, page 185
    2 more examples

    There's jump-scares a-plenty and all the obvious manipulation that goes into making a fright-flick work.

    1995, Film Review, Issues 12-13, unknown page

    Jump-scares, suspense, and sudden violence are all a major part of the horror genre.

    2012, Xander Bennett, Screenwriting Tips, You Hack: 150 Practical Pointers for Becoming a Better Screenwriter, Focal Press, →ISBN, page 103
Cite this entry
APA

jump-scare. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/jump-scare

MLA

“jump-scare.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/jump-scare. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “jump-scare,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/jump-scare.

Source: jump-scare on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.