You might use "joust" literally if, say, you're a history buff, or you're into Renaissance fairs or Medieval Times. 

But I'll focus on the general, figurative kind of jousting.

When you want to emphasize how two people or groups keep clashing, competing, or arguing with each other in a showy, stagey, ferocious way, say that they're jousting, or jousting with each other, or jousting over an issue, or for a prize.

You can also get abstract and talk about sounds, images, tastes, feelings, styles, and ideas that joust with each other, possibly for our favor or attention. A food critic might talk about two tastes or two textures that joust with each other; a musician might talk about two instruments or two tracks that joust with each other.

And, if you want to emphasize how someone seems to be fighting in a grand, showy, totally unnecessary way against some enemy that doesn't even exist, you can say that they're jousting at windmills. (Or "tilting" at windmills, if you prefer.) It's a reference to the popular novel Don Quixote de la Mancha. Learn more about that here, in the issue for the word "quixotic," which means "noble or idealistic in a foolish, unrealistic way, as if eager to solve the world's complex problems with a simple little staged joust."

"[Paul McCartney's] jousts with journalists give the book some of its best points of tension. Displeased with a negative profile, he and Linda once wrapped up a turd made by their baby daughter Stella... and sent it to the reporter responsible."
   — Alexandra Jacobs, New York Times, 6 December 2022

"I bet, my opponent raised, I re-raised, and my notoriously conservative opponent, after a dramatic pause, shoved in the remainder of his chips... For what seemed like forever, I sat motionless as unemotional probabilities jousted with wishful thinking."  
   — Robert Burton, Salon, 30 May 2021

has this page helped you understand "joust"?

Awesome, I'm glad it helped!

Thanks for letting me know!
If you have any questions about this word, please message me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.

study it:

Explain the meaning of "joust" without saying "attack" or "head-to-head."

try it out:

In a review, Mike Hale describes a television scene as "10 minutes of hyperarticulate verbal jousting."

Does that scene sound entertaining to you, or exhausting? To what extent do you enjoy verbal jousting, both as an observer and a participant? Why?

If you like, use this space to write. (To save your work, copy and paste it into an email or a document.)

before you review, play:

Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.

Our game for January: "Is That a Real Word?"

In each issue, I’ll give you three, um, written phenomena. You decide if each is a real word—and most importantly—why or why not. If someone were to dispute your judgment, how would you defend it? For fun, try comparing your responses with a companion’s. And if you like, you can compare yours with mine, which I’ll list at the bottom of the issue.

Try these today: Out of "ain't," "Dumpster fire," and "kitteny," which, if any, are real words?

review this word:

1. A near opposite of JOUSTING is

A. FAILING.
B. COOPERATING.
C. PLANNING AHEAD.

2. Considering what a joust is, "_____" is a pretty cute and clever title for a video game.

A. Joust the Two of Us
B. Joust Dance Dance Revolution
C. G-Police: Weapons of Joustice

Answers to the review questions: 1. B 2. A Let's compare notes from the game: I say, out of "ain't," "Dumpster fire," and "kitteny," all three are real. "Ain't" may give you the shivers, and while it may stick out as nonstandard in many contexts, it fits perfectly into others. It's listed in dictionaries. It's instantly understood. Merriam Webster says it's "flourishing in American English." "Dumpster fire" appears in dictionaries, so I'd call it a real word, or at least a real phrase. The literal meaning dates back to 1957, and the figurative, to 2008: "Shrek 3 was a dumpster fire." Not my opinion, y'all, just the citation from the OED. You may be tempted to correct "kitteny" to "kittenish." You won't find "kitteny" in dictionaries. But it's cute, and it's easily understood, and people have used it in conversation and on television.

a final word:

I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love. I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words. From my blog: On vocabulary...       36 ways to study words.       Why we forget words, & how to remember them.       How to use sophisticated words without being awkward. On writing...       How to improve any sentence.       How to motivate our kids to write.       How to stop procrastinating and start writing.       How to bulk up your writing when you have to meet a word count. From my heart: a profound thanks to the generous patrons, donors, and sponsors that make it possible for me to write these emails. If you'd like to be a patron or a donor, please click here. If you'd like to be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. A disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.