jump scare
noun
variants
or less commonly jump-scare
or jumpscare
plural jump scares also jump-scares or jumpscares
: a scripted moment (as in a film or video game) intended to startle the audience
The biggest jolts in "The Omen" … come from conventionally staged jump scares, where a nasty image suddenly flashes on the screen accompanied by a startling sound effect.—
Li Wang
Li Wang… differentiates itself from other VR [=virtual reality] horror games by not resorting to cheap jump-scares, instead flexing its brilliant visuals to build an atmospheric sense of foreboding.—Chris Button
Chris ButtonExamples of jump scare in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Although Carpenter is best known as a master of horror, sci-fi and action, his filmography isn’t all gore, jump scares and explosions.
—Todd Longwell, Variety, 25 Mar. 2025
The blood spatter would work as the punch lines, not jump scares.
—Chris O'Falt, IndieWire, 21 Feb. 2025
Creepy stuff and jump scares, we’ve been told, have proved better suited for channeling our abiding contemporary dread.
—Jake Coyle, Boston Herald, 17 Jan. 2025
The director toys with jump scares and mirrors, rearranges our sense of time and experiments with off-kilter camera angles (Frank G. DeMarco is the DP) to build a sense of dread.
—Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for jump scare
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Todd Longwell, Variety, 25 Mar. 2025
The blood spatter would work as the punch lines, not jump scares.
—Chris O'Falt, IndieWire, 21 Feb. 2025
Creepy stuff and jump scares, we’ve been told, have proved better suited for channeling our abiding contemporary dread.
—Jake Coyle, Boston Herald, 17 Jan. 2025
The director toys with jump scares and mirrors, rearranges our sense of time and experiments with off-kilter camera angles (Frank G. DeMarco is the DP) to build a sense of dread.
—Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for jump scare
Cite this Entry
“Jump scare.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/jump%20scare. Accessed 23 Apr. 2025.
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