juggle

[juhg-uh l]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR juggle ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), jug·gled, jug·gling.

to keep (several objects, as balls, plates, tenpins, or knives) in continuous motion in the air simultaneously by tossing and catching.

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.

to alter or manipulate in order to deceive, as by subterfuge or trickery: to juggle the business accounts; to juggle the facts.

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.

verb (used without object), jug·gled, jug·gling.

to perform feats of manual or bodily dexterity, as tossing up and keeping in continuous motion a number of balls, plates, knives, etc.

to use artifice or trickery.

noun

the act or fact of juggling.

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

Related formsjug·gling·ly, adverbout·jug·gle, verb (used with object), out·jug·gled, out·jug·gling.un·jug·gled, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for juggle

shuffle, alter, trim, maneuver, humbug, doctor, conjure, fix, modify, change, disguise, beguile, betray, bluff, misrepresent, manipulate, delude, double-cross, illude

Examples from the Web for juggle

Contemporary Examples of juggle

He hopes to go to Stanford and major in computer science, but for now he has to juggle homework with his online vigilante persona.
Meet Graham Smith, SnapChat’s 16-Year-Old Nemesis
Nina Strochlic
January 29, 2014
Even if you think they're evil enough to juggle the jobs figures, it's probably too late to do the president any good.
Why Would the BLS Bother to Cook the Books?
Megan McArdle
October 5, 2012
Well, a bear can juggle and stand on a ball and he's talented, but he's not famous.
Oscar de la Renta's Feud with Cathy Horyn, The Man Repeller's Empire Expands
The Daily Beast
September 17, 2012
When they did, the guys suddenly had two sets of girls at the house to juggle, and neither pair knew about the other.
‘Jersey Shore’ Canceled: 11 Wildest Moments (VIDEO)
Kevin Fallon
August 31, 2012
He managed to juggle a challenging workload and foster good relations among officials at various agencies.
Is Gates’ Success Overstated?
Tara McKelvey
June 21, 2011

Historical Examples of juggle

Would you wish by trick or quibble to juggle me out of these last acres?
The White Company
Arthur Conan Doyle
Wally reached out, and took the bullet from him that he might juggle it curiously in his own fingers.
Good Indian
B. M. Bower
But somebody produced a slipstick and began to juggle it expertly.
Sand Doom
William Fitzgerald Jenkins
He wants to show you how you can juggle ore so you can save everything but the smell.
Torchy, Private Sec.
Sewell Ford
I am sure there is some juggle here: hang me, if I think he is an Italian after all.
The Lady of Lyons
Edward Bulwer Lytton

British Dictionary definitions for juggle

juggle

verb

to throw and catch (several objects) continuously so that most are in the air all the time, as an entertainment

to arrange or manipulate (facts, figures, etc) so as to give a false or misleading picture

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

noun

an act of juggling

Derived Formsjugglery, noun

Word Origin for juggle

C14: from Old French jogler to perform as a jester, from Latin joculārī to jest, from jocus a jest

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

Word Origin and History for juggle

late 14c., "entertain by clowning or doing tricks," back-formation from juggler and in part from Old French jogler "play tricks, sing songs," from Late Latin ioculare (source of Italian giocolare), from Latin ioculari "to jest" (see jocular). Related: Juggled; juggling.