jump scare

noun

variants or less commonly jump-scare

ˈjəmp-ˌsker 

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

… 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

Examples of jump scare in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

We are then hit with two jump scares from Jesse’s past. —Brian Moylan, Vulture, 8 May 2025

Guests can casually converse with the Bride of Frankenstein or Ygor, without worrying about jump scares. —Samantha Neely, USA Today, 6 Apr. 2025

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

Word History

First Known Use

1986, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for jump scare

• abwehr
• affair
• affaire
• airfare
• altair
• armchair
• aware
• beware
• bugbear
• carfare
• childcare
• compare