jumbo

[ juhm-boh ]

/ ˈdʒʌm boʊ /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for: jumbo / jumbos on Thesaurus.com

noun, plural jum·bos.

a very large person, animal, or thing.

jumbo jet.

U.S. Nautical.

a forestaysail having a boom (jum·bo boom ) along its foot, used especially on schooners.
a sail used in place of a course on a square-rigged ship, having the form of an isosceles triangle set apex downward.
a narrow triangular sail set point downward in place of a foresail on a topsail schooner.

adjective

very large: the jumbo box of cereal.

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of jumbo

First recorded in 1800–10; origin uncertain; popularized as the name of a large elephant purchased and exhibited by P.T. Barnum in 1882

Words nearby jumbo

July, Jumada, jumar, jumble, jumble sale, jumbo, jumboize, jumbo jet, jumbuck, Jumna, jump

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use jumbo in a sentence

On jumbo screens at each end of the hall, we watch our votes being tabulated — arrived at collectively, one per table.
Ann Dowd, the twisted Aunt Lydia of ‘Handmaid’s Tale,’ beguiles in a new take on Ibsen’s ‘Enemy of the People’|Peter Marks|July 1, 2021|Washington Post
Such declarations are par for the course here, and their mixture of mumbo-jumbo and outright certainty is enough to make one frequently chuckle.
The Real-Life ‘Demonic’ Murder That Inspired ‘The Conjuring’|Nick Schager|June 11, 2021|The Daily Beast
Cleaned of any shell, jumbo lump crab is first dredged in a mix of eggs, mayonnaise, lemon juice and hot sauce.
Get your Maryland crab fix at the Point Crab House, along with ace service and a water view|Tom Sietsema|May 14, 2021|Washington Post
“Hi Mommy, Y in the sky,” he says, expecting me to respond “T in the sky”—clearly mumbo-jumbo to outsiders, though it makes perfect sense to me.
The toll pandemic isolation took on me and my autistic son|Lisa Wolfson|May 1, 2021|Quartz

All the market segments covered by our subindexes increased over the month, notably government and jumbo indexes.
Fixed mortgage rates upward march halted as they fall for the first time in 7 weeks|Kathy Orton|April 8, 2021|Washington Post
As the driver bios appeared on the jumbo screen, I flashed a toothy grin after noticing that two of them were women.
The Moms of Monster Jam Drive Trucks, Buck Macho Culture|Eliza Krigman|November 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Please go to BobQ2014.com for details and all that attorney mumbo-jumbo.
‘Blow Your Balls Off’ Senate Candidate Wants to Give Away a Free Car|Olivia Nuzzi|April 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
They're always trying to upsell you on that jumbo popcorn bucket at the movies.
‘Catching Fire’ Review: Bigger, More Polished, and Just Another Popcorn Flick|Kevin Fallon|November 14, 2013|DAILY BEAST
This was appropriate because just like her jumbo soda, her twenty minute speech was filled with empty calories.
Sarah Palin's Big Gulp of a Speech|Ben Jacobs|March 16, 2013|DAILY BEAST
It's really twisted and sick mumbo-jumbo to try to pass this off as part of God's plan.
Akin's Permanence, Huckabee's Sick Mumbo-Jumbo|Michael Tomasky|August 21, 2012|DAILY BEAST
He had leaped very smartly to this point of vantage, nevertheless he found Jumbo there before him, chattering worse than ever!
Hunting the Lions|R.M. Ballantyne
Had his legs been longer, Fred Greenwood would have pronounced him the equal of Jumbo himself.
Two Boys in Wyoming|Edward S. Ellis
Thereupon he asked me, even as you did some time ago, what I meant by Mumbo Jumbo?
Lavengro|George Borrow
Me Jumbo—come to lay breakfast, and cappen say you hab what you like ask for, especially someting nice for de young lady.
The Missing Ship|W. H. G. Kingston
They kept up the jumbo sail, as the main jib is called; they reefed the foresail down to its smallest compass.
Blow The Man Down|Holman Day

British Dictionary definitions for jumbo

jumbo

/ (ˈdʒʌmbəʊ) /

noun plural -bos

informal

a very large person or thing
(as modifier)a jumbo box of detergent

See jumbo jet

Word Origin for jumbo

C19: after the name of a famous elephant exhibited by P. T. Barnum, from Swahili jumbe chief

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

jumbo

Origin of jumbo

Words nearby jumbo

Words related to jumbo

How to use jumbo in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for jumbo

Word Origin for jumbo