juggle
Americanverb (used with object)
-
juggles,
present (3rd person singular)
-
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.
-
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)
-
juggles,
present (3rd person singular)
-
juggled,
past participle, past
-
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.
-
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
-
are jugglingprogressive
-
is jugglingprogressive
-
have been jugglingperfect progressive
-
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’m open as long as I can juggle it with family but, yeah, if someone’s got a John Wick thing, let’s talk.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026
The mental load is a popular topic on forums like Reddit and Mumsnet, where women seek advice about how to talk to their partners about the exhaustion of trying to juggle so many different responsibilities.
From BBC ● Sep. 5, 2026
How do you delegate the tasks you formerly did, lead former peers and juggle increased responsibilities?
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 1, 2026
A lot of those nerves last season came from Arsenal having to juggle a number of injuries to key players while dealing with criticism of their style.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
I’ll set me up in a market on market day, sing songs, juggle a little, whatever it takes to make a penny or two for a poor boy like meself.
From "The Inquisitor's Tale" by Adam Gidwitz
Chip falls in with a troupe of street performers, evades the police, juggles along the Seine and eventually wanders into a smoky bar, where Penelope is strumming her guitar.
From Salon ● Jun. 30, 2026
However, Paine believes that even with the hard work and multiple projects the team juggles, the grandeur of the Oscars makes it “special to be part of.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 13, 2026
The Welshman juggles his day job as a carpenter with the demands of a sport so visibly brutal it has stayed in the shadows of combat sports for much of its existence.
From BBC ● Feb. 20, 2026
Donaldson also juggles a loose grab bag of philanthropic efforts.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 3, 2026
Dressed in harlequin style with a grey mask, he juggles shiny silver balls that correspond to each hour.
From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern
“Katie Zacharia had less than 24 hours to prepare for her inaugural briefing, as she juggled a cross-country move, and only received briefing materials this morning,” the Wall Street Journal reported.
From Salon ● Oct. 16, 2026
Another kick to the corner from Charlie Atkinson found Barton who juggled successfully and managed to extend over for Gloucester's eighth.
From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2026
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
She juggled for a few minutes, sending the balls flying high and low.
From "Hopping Mad (The Hardy Boys: Secret Files, #4)" by Franklin W. Dixon
McDonald’s detailed the plans as it works to overhaul its menu, declutter its value offerings and hold on to customers who are juggling higher costs of living and have shied away from dining out.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 4, 2026
Civil servant Kashim Chowdhury is accused of fraududlently earning more than £284,000 by juggling multiple public sector jobs.
From BBC ● Oct. 23, 2026
Rushing went through a learning curve juggling his defensive and offensive responsibilities, and navigating intense online scrutiny of his outbursts on the field and in the dugout.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 21, 2026
Navatek was juggling multiple proposals in South Carolina worth around $10 million, and it’s not clear which one Kao was describing.
From Salon ● Oct. 20, 2026
I’ve seen his ball skills and they are incredible, so the juggling is probably true.
From "The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman" by Gennifer Choldenko
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
