boogie-woogie

American  

[boog-ee-woog-ee, boo-gee-woo-gee] / ˈbʊg iˈwʊg i, ˈbu giˈwu gi /

noun

Jazz.

1. a form of instrumental blues, especially for piano, using melodic variations over a constantly repeated bass figure.

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boogie-woogie British  

/ ˈbuːɡɪˈwuːɡɪ, ˈbʊɡɪˈwʊɡɪ /

noun

1. a style of piano jazz using a dotted bass pattern, usually with eight notes in a bar and the harmonies of the 12-bar blues

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Etymology

Origin of boogie-woogie

1925–30, rhyming compound perhaps based on boogie

Example Sentences

Both Basie and Hampton offer a selection of big-band boogie-woogie numbers, while Basie also features the majestic blues singer Jimmy Rushing.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 26, 2026

“It’s the bluesy rock ‘n’ roll boogie-woogie that you can dance to.

From Seattle Times • May 7, 2024

Artists like Gaye and Wonder literally laid the groundwork with their works that inhabited multiple genres like R&B, blues, boogie-woogie, and up-tempo jazz.

From Salon • Sep. 18, 2023

Williams mixes it up, but her performance still has more than enough hypnotic, danceable repetition to make it classic boogie-woogie.

From New York Times • Apr. 5, 2023

A couple of weeks ago, under a pile of old sheet music and practice books, I found a yellowed book of boogie-woogie pieces, and old-time blues and rock.

From "Blended" by Sharon M. Draper