juggle

1 of 2

verb

jug·​gle ˈjə-gəl How to pronounce juggle (audio)
juggled; juggling ˈjə-g(ə-)liŋ How to pronounce juggle (audio)

intransitive verb

1
: to perform the tricks of a juggler
2
: to engage in manipulation especially in order to achieve a desired end

transitive verb

1
: to handle or deal with usually several things (such as obligations) at one time so as to satisfy often competing requirements
juggle the responsibilities of family life and full-time jobJane S. Gould
2
a
: to practice deceit or trickery on : beguile
b
: to manipulate or rearrange especially in order to achieve a desired end
juggle an account to hide a loss
3
a
: to toss in the manner of a juggler
b
: to hold or balance precariously

juggle

2 of 2

noun

: an act or instance of juggling:
a
: a trick of magic
b
: a show of manual dexterity
c
: an act of manipulation especially to achieve a desired end

Examples of juggle in a Sentence

Verb He is learning to juggle. He juggled four balls at once. She somehow manages to juggle a dozen tasks at once. It can be hard to juggle family responsibilities and the demands of a full-time job. I'll have to juggle my schedule a bit to get this all to work out. Noun a temporary suspension of the gas tax was just a crowd-pleasing juggle that was not a long-term solution to the energy problem
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
Women also continue to be forced to juggle work and caregiving, with the only national law explicitly focused on helping people balance these demands, the Family and Medical Leave Act, having been on the books for just three decades. Katherine Gallagher Robbins, Fortune, 13 Mar. 2024 Dear Meghan: How does a parent juggle making sure a child does the right thing (return a shoplifted candy bar, for example) with the very scary fear that the consequences could be life-altering (criminal charges) or worse for a child of color? Meghan Leahy, Washington Post, 13 Mar. 2024 Performing arts groups juggled with masking protocols, schedule changes caused by illness, costs for safety equipment and audiences that needed to be cajoled to return. Sal Pizarro, The Mercury News, 12 Mar. 2024 In mid-December, there are still another dozen gifts to buy, cookies to bake, and holiday open houses to juggle. Murr Brewster, The Christian Science Monitor, 12 Mar. 2024 The couple juggle caring for their small children with putting on the show and documenting the whole effort, while assistant director Oosterveen and an ensemble of professional and aspiring actors fill out the cast of Hamlet. Leslie Felperin, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Mar. 2024 Since then, both have also juggled heavy work commitments along the way. Elizabeth Leonard, Peoplemag, 8 Mar. 2024 My daughter’s in Indiana, and then there’s touring, so to juggle everything is sometimes a challenge. Jason Lipshutz, Billboard, 5 Mar. 2024 Remote work allowed Alyson Velasquez to juggle her demanding roles as a Wells Fargo talent recruiter and as mother of two young children, including a son with special needs. TIME, 1 Mar. 2024
Noun
Same juggle as always: working, hanging with the kids, figuring out after-school activities. Mikael Wood, Los Angeles Times, 4 Mar. 2024 The Mental Load: A Feminist Comic By Emma The term ‘mental load’ has been attributed to French author, Emma, in her collection of comics depicted the unpaid domestic and caring labor that disproportionally falls to women as the juggle the demands of family, work, and life. Melissa A. Wheeler, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2024 And there are all kinds of programs for working parents, but they’re all really aimed at women for whom the juggle is real. Marissa Evans, Los Angeles Times, 16 Jan. 2024 Elsewhere in the video, Styles dodges knives, takes in the aerialists and juggles. Mckinley Franklin, Variety, 19 July 2023 The juggle is real for Meg St-Esprit, a freelance journalist based in Pittsburgh, PA, who has four children aged between four and 11. Chloe Taylor, Fortune, 14 June 2023 Against the grim backdrop of the murder investigation Crombie sets Duncan and Gemma’s generally happy but often-chaotic family life as the couple juggles solving crimes with raising three children. Karen MacPherson, Washington Post, 16 Mar. 2023 That time was the starkest reminder that the juggle was so very real. Cesca Major, Good Housekeeping, 25 May 2023 Even with a scholarship and subsidized child care, Conner said caring for two children while attending school full-time is a relentless test of time management and personal stamina, a constant juggle between meeting academic expectations and the needs of two young children. oregonlive, 10 Jan. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'juggle.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English jogelen, from Anglo-French jugler, from Latin joculari to jest, joke, from joculus, diminutive of jocus joke

First Known Use

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Noun

1664, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of juggle was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near juggle

Cite this Entry

“Juggle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/juggle. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

juggle

verb
jug·​gle
ˈjəg-əl
juggled; juggling
-(ə-)liŋ
1
: to keep several objects in motion in the air at the same time
2
: to do several things at the same time
juggling three jobs
3
: make changes to (something) in order to achieve a desired result
had to juggle my schedule
juggler
-(ə-)lər
noun

More from Merriam-Webster on juggle

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