juggle
Americanverb (used with object)
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juggles,
present (3rd person singular)
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juggled,
past participle, past
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juggling
present participle
-
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.
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to alter or manipulate in order to deceive, as by subterfuge or trickery.
to juggle the business accounts; to juggle the facts.
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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)
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juggles,
present (3rd person singular)
-
juggled,
past participle, past
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juggling
present participle
-
to perform feats of manual or bodily dexterity, as tossing up and keeping in continuous motion a number of balls, plates, knives, etc.
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to use artifice or trickery.
noun
verb
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to throw and catch (several objects) continuously so that most are in the air all the time, as an entertainment
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to arrange or manipulate (facts, figures, etc) so as to give a false or misleading picture
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(tr) to keep (several activities) in progress, esp with difficulty
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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jugglesimple
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jugglessimple
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have juggledperfect
-
has juggledperfect
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am jugglingprogressive
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are jugglingprogressive
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is jugglingprogressive
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have been jugglingperfect progressive
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has been jugglingperfect progressive
Past
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juggledsimple
-
had juggledperfect
-
was jugglingprogressive
-
were jugglingprogressive
-
had been jugglingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
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
Explanation
To juggle is to toss several items in the air and keep them moving from hand to hand, with at least one of them suspended at any given moment. Most beginners learn to juggle using balls or beanbags, not knives. A skilled juggler can juggle stuffed animals or oranges, or even knives and flaming torches. It's also possible to figuratively juggle, like when you juggle three jobs at once or juggle your responsibilities as a student, pet owner, and friend. In these examples, you manage several things at the same time. Juggle comes from the Old French jogler, "play tricks or sing songs," from the Latin root ioculari, "to jest."
Vocabulary lists containing juggle
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Mid-Air
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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.
See Examples For:
“I was lucky to learn so much from my degree and found it helpful learning to juggle both university and getting the business off the ground.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026
Rachel admitted it had sometimes been difficult to juggle her studies with her parenting commitments, including pulling some "all-nighters" to study.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
The split you have now means you’re a flexible thinker, and that will help you juggle all the priorities involved here.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 29, 2026
Angel City captain Sarah Gorden struggled to juggle motherhood early in her soccer career.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 22, 2026
Today I showed them how to juggle, something I learned to do when I was in France.
From "The (Mostly) True Story of Cleopatra's Needle" by Dan Gutman
Protein and fiber are her top priorities, and because she juggles work and a family, she’s looking for ready-to-eat, portion-controlled meals.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026
Like a lot of farmers, 54-year-old Graham Wilson from Dylife in Powys juggles a few different businesses, one of which involves heading up into the mistier fields and forests, whatever the weather.
From BBC ● Mar. 8, 2026
Kardashian reacted with visible shock, saying the results “explain a lot” about her stress levels as she juggles a sprawling business empire, law studies, an aneurysm recovery, and a highly public personal life.
From Salon ● Nov. 29, 2025
In Crawford’s case, she already juggles college coursework, picks up shifts as an UberEats driver and cares for her 1-year-old.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 8, 2025
As the clock chimes, another ball joins the rest until at midnight he juggles twelve balls in a complex pattern.
From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern
He also credited his Jewish day school education—in which he juggled religious education alongside a standard curriculum—as useful training for the rigors of start-ups.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 15, 2026
Throughout her 20s, she juggled multiple cash-paying jobs, often working gruelling hours.
From Barron's ● Jul. 28, 2026
“I couldn’t have juggled this schedule without them.”
From Los Angeles Times ● May 28, 2026
He studied musical theater in college, and juggled performing roles with bartending gigs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 19, 2026
Millard removed his tuxedo so that he was completely invisible and juggled glass bottles.
From "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children" by Ransom Riggs
His opponent responds by juggling his outstretched palms in a "6-7," a viral youth meme that has no fixed meaning but has become so ubiquitous that even Pope Leo has taken to performing it.
From Barron's ● Aug. 22, 2026
Many older people, meanwhile, are juggling more commitments.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026
As a parent of two kids juggling childcare costs, enrichment activities and our grocery budget, putting money into an investment across the world seemed like a bad move.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 10, 2026
Workers say the ability to switch shifts is also a crucial benefit to make enough money to cover rent and other living expenses in Southern California, as some are juggling other jobs.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026
“Like sewing the longest friendship bracelets or walking the most dogs at once. I was practicing juggling beanbags for, like, two hours in my room last night.”
From "Zara’s Rules for Record-Breaking Fun" by Hena Khan
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.
