jumping bean

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noun

the seed of any of certain Mexican plants of the genera Sebastiania and Sapium, of the spurge family: the movements of a moth larva inside the seed cause it to move about or jump.

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Also called Mexican jumping bean.

Origin of jumping bean

An Americanism dating back to 1885–90

Words nearby jumping bean

jumped-up, jumper, jumper ant, jump head, jump in, jumping bean, jumping bristletail, jumping gene, jumping genes, jumping hare, jumping jack

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

How to use jumping bean in a sentence

But also in The Two Towers, we had the scene where he was jumping on a horse.
‘No Regrets’: Peter Jackson Says Goodbye to Middle-Earth|Alex Suskind|December 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A French green bean salad with warm goat cheese reminds Ina Garten of having lunch in Paris.
The Barefoot Contessa’s Tasty Trip to Paris|Ina Garten|November 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But his voice never seems to crack or weaken, and he's always in motion—jiggling, aerobic walking, jumping, dancing.
The Stacks: Pauline Kael's Talking Heads Obsession|Pauline Kael|November 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The problem is that those restrictions—like jumping from a 24- to a 72-hour waiting period—seem fairly arbitrary.
Abortion in Missouri Is the Wait of a Lifetime|Justin Glawe|November 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Also making appearances in the early Garfield specials are the original Bilbo Baggins, Orson Bean, and a pre-Cheers George Wendt.
Garfield Television: The Cat Who Saved Primetime Cartoons|Rich Goldstein|November 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Every few days after that the boy took Squinty out of his pen, and let him do the rope-jumping and the acorn-hunting tricks.
Squinty the Comical Pig|Richard Barnum
One of Yung Pak's favourite toys was a wooden jumping-jack with a pasteboard tongue.
Our Little Korean Cousin|H. Lee M. Pike
Jumping up, he presented at the giraffe, which was galloping off about two hundred yards ahead.
Hunting the Lions|R.M. Ballantyne
Once even a blue bean (a bullet) made sad work with my head, and my fist has got a deuce of a smashing.
Tobacco; Its History, Varieties, Culture, Manufacture and Commerce|E. R. Billings.
This is better than frightening them out of their skins by jumping out from behind a door and saying "Boo."
Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 158, April 28, 1920|Various

British Dictionary definitions for jumping bean

jumping bean

noun

a seed of any of several Mexican euphorbiaceous plants, esp species of Sebastiania, that contains a moth caterpillar whose movements cause it to jerk about

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