jumble

American  

[juhm-buhl] / ˈdʒʌm bəl /

verb (used with object)

jumbled, jumbling

1. to mix in a confused mass; put or throw together without order.

   You've jumbled up all the cards.

   Antonyms:

   separate

2. to confuse mentally; muddle.

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verb (used without object)

jumbled, jumbling

1. to be mixed together in a disorderly heap or mass.

2. to meet or come together confusedly.

noun

1. a mixed or disordered heap or mass.

   a jumble of paper clips, rubber bands, and string.

2. a confused mixture; medley.

3. a state of confusion or disorder.

   Synonyms:

   chaos, muddle, mess, gallimaufry, farrago, hodgepodge

   Antonyms:

   order

4. Also jumbal a small, round, flat cake or cookie with a hole in the middle.

jumble British  

/ ˈdʒʌmbəl /

verb

1. to mingle (objects, papers, etc) in a state of disorder

2. (tr; usually passive) to remember in a confused form; muddle

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noun

1. a disordered mass, state, etc

2. articles donated for a jumble sale

3. Also called: jumbal.  a small thin cake, usually ring-shaped

Other Word Forms

• jumblement noun
• jumbler noun
• jumblingly adverb
• jumbly adjective
• unjumbled adjective

Etymology

Origin of jumble

1520–30; perhaps blend of joll to bump (now dial.) and tumble

Example Sentences

Initially intriguing, the jumbled chronology eventually proves to be largely decorative until a disappointing late-reel twist explains why the labored device was deployed in the first place.

From Los Angeles Times

And their seemingly haphazard jumble is purposeful, reminding us that this is not a temple but a workshop, a place of ongoing activity in which new and experimental art is incubated.

From The Wall Street Journal

I stood gazing numbly at the jumble of food on my cot.

From Literature

To the left, it wound into a valley of misty beech trees; to the right, it disappeared up a dank gully, its steep sides an uninviting jumble of moss-covered boulders.

From Literature

Years of mismanagement and ill-fated transfers have left Spurs with a jumbled squad and a hair trigger for firing coaches.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• assortment
• mishmash
• pastiche
• patchwork
• tangle