jitterbug

[ jit-er-buhg ]
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noun
  1. a strenuously acrobatic dance consisting of a few standardized steps augmented by twirls, splits, somersaults, etc., popular especially in the early 1940s and performed chiefly to boogie-woogie and swing.

  2. a person who dances the jitterbug.

verb (used without object),jit·ter·bugged, jit·ter·bug·ging.
  1. to dance the jitterbug.

Origin of jitterbug

1
An Americanism dating back to 1930–35; jitter + bug1

Other words from jitterbug

  • jit·ter·bug·ger, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use jitterbug in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for jitterbug

jitterbug

/ (ˈdʒɪtəˌbʌɡ) /


noun
  1. a fast jerky American dance, usually to a jazz accompaniment, that was popular in the 1940s

  2. a person who dances the jitterbug

  1. a highly nervous or excitable person

verb-bugs, -bugging or -bugged
  1. (intr) to perform such a dance

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012