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jitterbug

[ jit-er-buhg ]
/ ˈdʒɪt ərˌbʌg /
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See synonyms for jitterbug on Thesaurus.com
noun
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.
a person who dances the jitterbug.
verb (used without object), jit·ter·bugged, jit·ter·bug·ging.
to dance the jitterbug.
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Origin of jitterbug

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

OTHER WORDS FROM jitterbug

jit·ter·bug·ger, noun

Words nearby jitterbug

jird, jism, JIT, jitney, jitter, jitterbug, jittery, jiujitsu, jiva, Jívaro, jive
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Words related to jitterbug

disco, samba, tango, waltz, boogie, conga, foxtrot, frolic, hop, hustle, jig, jitter, jive, jump, leap, one-step, promenade, rhumba, spin, step

How to use jitterbug in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for jitterbug

jitterbug
/ (ˈdʒɪtəˌbʌɡ) /
noun
a fast jerky American dance, usually to a jazz accompaniment, that was popular in the 1940s
a person who dances the jitterbug
a highly nervous or excitable person
verb -bugs, -bugging or -bugged
(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
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