juggle

American  

[juhg-uhl] / ˈdʒʌg əl /

verb (used with object)

• juggles,
  present (3rd person singular)
• juggled,
  past participle,  past
• juggling
  present participle

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.

3. to alter or manipulate in order to deceive, as by subterfuge or trickery.

   to juggle the business accounts; to juggle the facts.

4. 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.

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verb (used without object)

• juggles,
  present (3rd person singular)
• juggled,
  past participle,  past
• juggling
  present participle

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.

juggle British  

/ 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

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

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noun

1. an act of juggling

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• jugglery
  noun
• outjuggle
  verb (used with object)
• unjuggled
  adjective
• jugglingly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Participles

• juggling
  present
• juggled
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• juggle
  simple
• juggles
  simple
• have juggled
  perfect
• has juggled
  perfect
• am juggling
  progressive
• are juggling
  progressive
• is juggling
  progressive
• have been juggling
  perfect progressive
• has been juggling
  perfect progressive

Past

• juggled
  simple
• had juggled
  perfect
• was juggling
  progressive
• were juggling
  progressive
• had been juggling
  perfect progressive

Future

• will juggle
  simple
• will have juggled
  perfect
• will be juggling
  progressive
• will have been juggling
  perfect progressive

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Etymology

Origin of juggle

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

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Explanation

To juggle is to toss several items in the air and keep them moving from hand to hand, with at least one of them suspended at any given moment. Most beginners learn to juggle using balls or beanbags, not knives. A skilled juggler can juggle stuffed animals or oranges, or even knives and flaming torches. It's also possible to figuratively juggle, like when you juggle three jobs at once or juggle your responsibilities as a student, pet owner, and friend. In these examples, you manage several things at the same time. Juggle comes from the Old French jogler, "play tricks or sing songs," from the Latin root ioculari, "to jest."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

juggle juggles juggled juggling

Still, he said, 400 products is a lot to juggle.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 2, 2026

"Many people in my era either had to take unpaid leave or resign, or they got sacked because they were trying to juggle their sports with their career," she said.

From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026

Catchin' Sachin is the sub-plot to Root's second stint as captain, and he is adamant he can juggle the jobs of leadership and run-scoring.

From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026

And we get to eliminate a few million dollars of administrative costs from trying to juggle two different regulatory environments.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026

He could juggle five juggling clubs, and even though he had enormous hands, big enough to hold all five clubs at once, he was gentle.

From "A Boy Called Bat" by Elana K. Arnold

Protein and fiber are her top priorities, and because she juggles work and a family, she’s looking for ready-to-eat, portion-controlled meals.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026

The Welshman juggles his day job as a carpenter with the demands of a sport so visibly brutal it has stayed in the shadows of combat sports for much of its existence.

From BBC ● Feb. 20, 2026

All the while, he juggles calls and texts from residents, family members and local representatives seeking advice on recovery efforts.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 17, 2025

Kardashian reacted with visible shock, saying the results “explain a lot” about her stress levels as she juggles a sprawling business empire, law studies, an aneurysm recovery, and a highly public personal life.

From Salon ● Nov. 29, 2025

Dressed in harlequin style with a grey mask, he juggles shiny silver balls that correspond to each hour.

From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern

“Katie Zacharia had less than 24 hours to prepare for her inaugural briefing, as she juggled a cross-country move, and only received briefing materials this morning,” the Wall Street Journal reported.

From Salon ● Oct. 16, 2026

At first, she juggled classes with Fusion Books, an online platform she’d started to help students to create and design yearbooks.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026

Throughout her 20s, she juggled multiple cash-paying jobs, often working gruelling hours.

From Barron's ● Jul. 28, 2026

“I couldn’t have juggled this schedule without them.”

From Los Angeles Times ● May 28, 2026

He continued to teach me more melodies, and once, I juggled while he played.

From "Crispin: The Cross of Lead" by Avi

Just remember, the bigger the knives you are juggling, the more likely you are to hurt yourself.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026

Another ensemble member is juggling nearby as someone spins in a giant hoop at an unnatural speed.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 14, 2026

Wall Street’s age-old structural paradox is back in the spotlight: juggling conflicts of interest between sell-side research analysts and their employers’ dealmaking businesses.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 31, 2026

His opponent responds by juggling his outstretched palms in a "6-7," a viral youth meme that has no fixed meaning but has become so ubiquitous that even Pope Leo has taken to performing it.

From Barron's ● Aug. 22, 2026

He had her doing all sorts of activities: walking on her hands, juggling blades...It wasn’t anything new, but it was unpleasant.

From "Throne of Glass" by Sarah J. Maas

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