jamboree
Americannoun
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a large gathering, as of a political party or the teams of a sporting league, often including a program of speeches and entertainment.
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a large gathering of members of the Boy Scouts or Girl Scouts, usually nationwide or international in scope (distinguished from camporee).
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any large gathering with a partylike atmosphere.
We're spotlighting aspects of each of the major December traditions—Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa—to create one all-inclusive jamboree.
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a carousal; any noisy merrymaking.
noun
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a large and often international gathering of Scouts
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a party or spree
Etymology
Origin of jamboree
An Americanism dating back to 1860–65; origin unknown
Explanation
A jamboree is a festive party or gathering. Your backyard jamboree might bother your neighbors, unless you invite them to join you. When you throw a jamboree, there's usually music, cheering, or other kinds of noise involved. You can call any large celebration a jamboree, as long as it's full of celebration and raucous enthusiasm. Jamboree is an American English invention from the 1860's. The word's origin isn't certain, although experts suspect a connection to shivaree, or charivari, a French folk tradition of greeting a newly married couple by making a whole lot of noise, in a mock serenade.
Vocabulary lists containing jamboree
Party Parlance for Mardi Gras
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Mardi Gras: Fun
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National Spelling Bee '14: Prelims Round 3
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Then again, as last year’s mixed jamboree showed, the part-time doublers may have a hard time knocking out the professionally committed.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
But honestly, spending time with Williams’ news cave jamboree wasn’t terrible.
From Salon ● Nov. 6, 2024
A big presence on stage, he was always surrounded by fellow musicians on Indian instruments like the harmonium and the three-stringed sarangi, and a jamboree of vocalists providing the drone of the tanpura.
From BBC ● Jan. 12, 2024
A meringue band, fireworks, confetti showers and a light show animate the jamboree.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 11, 2024
And believe me, old top, you can throw good money away faster on an airplane than you can on a jamboree.
From Skyrider by Anton Otto Fischer
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
