juggle

[ juhg-uhl ]
See synonyms for: jugglejuggling on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object),jug·gled, jug·gling.
  1. to keep (several objects, as balls, plates, tenpins, or knives) in continuous motion in the air simultaneously by tossing and catching.

  2. to hold, catch, carry, or balance precariously; almost drop and then catch hold again: The center fielder juggled the ball but finally made the catch.

  1. to alter or manipulate in order to deceive, as by subterfuge or trickery: to juggle the business accounts; to juggle the facts.

  2. to manage or alternate the requirements of (two or more tasks, responsibilities, activities, etc.) so as to handle each adequately: to juggle the obligations of job and school.

verb (used without object),jug·gled, jug·gling.
  1. to perform feats of manual or bodily dexterity, as tossing up and keeping in continuous motion a number of balls, plates, knives, etc.

  2. to use artifice or trickery.

noun
  1. the act or fact of juggling.

Origin of juggle

1
1350–1400; Middle English jog(e)len<Old French jogler to serve as buffoon or jester <Late Latin joculāre to joke (replacing Latin joculārī), equivalent to Latin jocul(us) (joc(us) joke + -ulus-ule) + -āre infinitive suffix

Other words from juggle

  • jug·gling·ly, adverb
  • outjuggle, verb (used with object), out·jug·gled, out·jug·gling.
  • un·jug·gled, adjective

Words Nearby juggle

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

How to use juggle in a sentence

  • He managed to juggle a challenging workload and foster good relations among officials at various agencies.

  • A frind iv mine wanst got full iv kerosene an' attempted to juggle a polisman.

    Mr. Dooley Says | Finley Dunne
  • Through her tears his meagre face showed as a seraph's who spoke the truth and forbade her to juggle with her soul.

    The Longest Journey | E. M. Forster
  • He was all in white, his waistcoat had long sleeves, and every minute it seemed as if he must begin to juggle with glasses.

    The Life of James McNeill Whistler | Elizabeth Robins Pennell
  • He couldn't even juggle one foot backward and forward without correction.

    The Wrong Twin | Harry Leon Wilson
  • My thoughts merely revel and juggle with them, picture and legend—they are pastimes of my child-self.

    I, Mary MacLane | Mary MacLane

British Dictionary definitions for juggle

juggle

/ (ˈdʒʌɡəl) /


verb
  1. to throw and catch (several objects) continuously so that most are in the air all the time, as an entertainment

  2. to arrange or manipulate (facts, figures, etc) so as to give a false or misleading picture

  1. (tr) to keep (several activities) in progress, esp with difficulty

noun
  1. an act of juggling

Origin of juggle

1
C14: from Old French jogler to perform as a jester, from Latin joculārī to jest, from jocus a jest

Derived forms of juggle

  • jugglery, noun

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