What does jutting mean?
Jutting describes something that projects prominently from a surrounding surface. The word is especially common in descriptions of landforms, buildings, vegetation, and facial features: cliffs jut into the water, rocks jut above a plain, and a beard or chin may be described as jutting outward. As the present participle of the verb jut, it shows an action continuing outward, as in a structure jutting into the sea. The term is more evocative and descriptive than simply “protruding,” often suggesting a conspicuous, sharply defined form. It occurs in both British and American English, though formal writing and descriptive journalism use it more often than casual speech. Jutting should not imply that something is merely present or visible; its defining feature is its extension beyond the surrounding surface.
Projecting or protruding sharply from a surface.
"The island's jutting cliffs provide sheltered coves for boats."
Common in descriptive writing about landforms, architecture, vegetation, and facial features.
Extending or protruding outward from a surface or area.
"A rocky peninsula was jutting into the harbor."
This is the present participle of the verb jut and is normally used in a continuous or descriptive construction.
What juts out can become what juts in: a jutting headland may shelter a harbor for generations.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does jutting come from?
Jutting is derived from the verb jut, which has meant “project” or “extend outward” since the Middle English period. The ultimate origin of jut is uncertain, although its early English form was influenced by Old French. Modern forms developed along the regular English pattern, with jut giving rise to juts, jutted, and the present participle jutting.
Related word forms
How jutting is actually used
Jutting is somewhat literary and descriptive. It emphasizes a pronounced outward projection, often with a suggestion of sharpness, height, or visual prominence.