jitterbug
Americannoun
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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)
noun
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a fast jerky American dance, usually to a jazz accompaniment, that was popular in the 1940s
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a person who dances the jitterbug
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a highly nervous or excitable person
verb
Other Word Forms
- jitterbugger noun
Etymology
Origin of jitterbug
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.
It references to Audrey Hepburn and British supermodel Twiggy, and the frenetic editing and jitterbug choreography make it a unique entry in her videography.
From BBC • Sep. 10, 2024
The Germans banned jazz, but wherever they went, U.S. soldiers, known as GIs, introduced locals to jazz and the jitterbug, popular back in the States.
From Textbooks • Dec. 14, 2022
In it, he successfully mimics Parker’s distinctive prose style, one characterized by ironic dialogue and crisp, short sentences that jitterbug across the page in a rhythm you could dance to.
From Washington Times • Sep. 8, 2020
She’d jitterbug around her apartment when Harry James’s band came on “Make Believe Ballroom” on WNEW.
From Washington Post • Jun. 1, 2020
You can cross over, or do some corny dips, or even jitterbug a little, and she stays right with you.
From "The Catcher in the Rye" by J. D. Salinger
Definitions 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.
