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joint

JOYNT/d͡ʒɔɪnt/

Noun pluraljoints

18 meanings of joint

Practice

  1. 1
    sharedadjective
    Shared by, involving, or done together by two or more people or organizations.

    The companies issued a joint statement after the merger.

    Parents and teachers took joint responsibility for the new program.

    UsageUsually before a noun (a joint account, a joint decision); to say how something is done, use jointly (jointly owned).

    Similarshared, mutual

    Oppositeindividual, separate, sole, unilateral

    Note

    It sits before its noun, as in a joint statement, joint responsibility, or Shakespeare's 'a joint burden laid upon us all'.

  2. 2
    where bones meetnouncountable
    A place in an animal's body where two bones or exoskeleton segments meet, usually allowing that part to bend or straighten.

    The shoulder joint allows the arm to rotate in almost any direction.

    Arthritis can cause the joints to swell and stiffen.

    Similararticulation

    Note

    Anatomy uses the word for every meeting of bones, and for the meeting of exoskeleton segments too, so an insect's leg has joints just as a knee does. Articulation is the technical equivalent. Joint remains the word for everyday talk of shoulders, knuckles, and stiff, swollen joints.

    Checked 5 Nov 2026 · 4 facts

    • Anatomical joints include all connections between adjacent bones, including immobile connections. openstax.org
    • Joints also occur in exoskeletons, including insect legs. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
    • The segments of an insect's leg meet at joints. genent.cals.ncsu.edu
    • Articulation is the anatomical equivalent of joint. openstax.org
  3. 3
    where parts meetnouncountable
    A place where two parts of a structure or object are joined, either fixed together or able to move, or the way they are fitted together.

    Engineers added a rotating joint so the crane arm could swivel.

    The robotic arm uses several joints to reach around obstacles.

    Note

    The word covers every place where parts of a structure meet, whether they can still move, like a rod free to swing at its joint with a platform, or are held fast, as in a glued or welded joint. Hinge and pivot stand close only to the moving kind. It can also name the way the parts are fitted, so a dovetail joint is a method as much as a place. When the difference matters, say movable joint or rigid joint.

  4. 4
    casual placenounslangcountable
    A place of business, especially a restaurant or bar, and sometimes any spot where people gather.

    They opened a pizza joint near the college.

    The bar was the kind of joint where everyone knew your name.

    UsageOften after a food word (pizza joint, burger joint). Can sound fond or dismissive; in formal writing, say restaurant or bar.

    Similarplace, spot, hangout

    Note

    Chiefly American slang for a place, usually one serving food or drink: a pizza joint, a few smaller Harlem joints, the "fantastic street-food joints" The Times recommended in 2021.

Practice

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Origin

The noun comes from Middle English joynt, from Old French joint ("joint of the body"), while the adjective comes from Old French jointiz; both Old French words derive from Latin iunctus, the past participle of iungo ("to join"). The sense of a "building or establishment" (often linked to shady activities) appeared in Anglo-Irish by 1821 and entered American slang by 1877, and the "marijuana cigarette" sense appeared in the 1930s.

Checked 5 Nov 2026 · 6 facts

  • The noun derives through Middle English joynt from Old French joint, meaning a joint of the body. en.wiktionary.org
  • The adjective derives from Old French jointiz. en.wiktionary.org
  • Both Old French words derive from Latin iunctus. en.wiktionary.org
  • Iunctus is the past participle of iungo, meaning to join. en.wiktionary.org
  • The building or establishment sense, associated with shady activities, appeared in Anglo-Irish by 1821. en.wiktionary.org
  • The establishment sense entered American slang by 1877. en.wikipedia.org