as in ruse
a clever often underhanded means to achieve an end
okay, buster, the jig is up
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
as in to fidget
to make jerky or restless movements
the mother could tell that her little boy had to use the bathroom because he was jigging
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of jig
Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 19 Apr. 2025
Audience members dined on wild rice, bison, veggies, and berry crumble while watching people from the nation perform a variety of dances, including a Métis-style jig by the Creeland Dancers.
—Debbie Olsen, AFAR Media, 15 May 2025
Joe Cermele, Outdoor Life, 17 Oct. 2024
Owned by the Chinese, the ship was flagged to Argentina and jigging in Argentinian waters.
—Ian Urbina, TIME, 1 Aug. 2024
See All Example Sentences for jig
Noun
Jack O’Connell had a secret weapon in his arsenal when he was cast as Remmick in Ryan Coogler’s latest film, Sinners: the ability to dance an Irish jig.
—Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 19 Apr. 2025
Audience members dined on wild rice, bison, veggies, and berry crumble while watching people from the nation perform a variety of dances, including a Métis-style jig by the Creeland Dancers.
—Debbie Olsen, AFAR Media, 15 May 2025
Verb
Diamond jigs were originally intended to be dropped straight down from a boat and jigged vertically.
—Joe Cermele, Outdoor Life, 17 Oct. 2024
Owned by the Chinese, the ship was flagged to Argentina and jigging in Argentinian waters.
—Ian Urbina, TIME, 1 Aug. 2024
See All Example Sentences for jig
Recent Examples of Synonyms for jig
Noun
-
No, because the medic — work requirements are a ruse.—
NBC news,
NBC news,
13 July 2025
-
Ben Affleck's Argo is a real film about the ruse of making a fake film to help rescue real-life hostages in Iran.—
EW Staff Published,
EW.com,
4 July 2025
Verb
-
Drone footage obtained by Brazilian outlet TV Brasil EBC appeared to show Marins sitting in the grey sand conscious and fidgeting.—
Becca Longmire,
People.com,
4 July 2025
-
In your experience, do people fidget to purposely get non-conclusive results?—
Tony Maglio,
HollywoodReporter,
8 July 2025
Noun
-
Singer took in more than $25 million from his clients as part of the scheme, paid bribes totaling more than $7 million and used more than $15 million for his own benefit, according to prosecutors.—
Eric Levenson,
CNN Money,
24 July 2025
-
The scheme requires drivers to pay a fee—based on the time and duration of their visit and their vehicle type—to enter the lower part of Manhattan, from the southern end of Central Park to the city’s financial district.—
Carlton Reid,
Forbes.com,
24 July 2025
Verb
-
This is why after a snake is killed, its body will still twitch and move around, and why its head can still bite.—
Brayden Garcia,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
22 July 2025
-
At times, Woods reminds me of 2025 Cleveland Browns first-rounder Mason Graham, with the quickness and twitch to play just about anywhere along a defensive front and the power/hand speed to be a three-down weapon at either spot inside.—
Nick Baumgardner,
New York Times,
10 July 2025
Noun
-
From fashion tips and tricks to tween and teen hair and nails, our back-to-school style guide has a little bit of everything.—
Kimberly Zapata,
Parents,
29 July 2025
-
Over the years, Johnson has learned some tricks to help acquaint himself with new colleagues, from researching the background of management or coaches or looking up teammates on Madden to know a bit about their game.—
Ben Morse,
CNN Money,
28 July 2025
Verb
-
Having already had to navigate a 180-degree turn around a roundabout at 80km per hour, the road jerked to the left with around 1.6km remaining and, with some riders forced wide, the group was split.—
Jacob Whitehead,
New York Times,
12 July 2025
-
The passenger jerked forward and their belongings were thrown to the floor.—
Abhirup Roy,
USA Today,
27 June 2025
Noun
-
As The Verge points out, the device only comes packed with a single Thunderbolt 5 cable, and no included PSU (power supply unit) like previous Razer eGPU models.—
Mitch Wallace,
Forbes.com,
26 July 2025
-
Using the device is as simple as subtly dipping a finger into your drink, using that finger to transfer a drop of the liquid over to the tattoo, then wetting the surface of the tattoo with that drop.—
Ben Coxworth
July 26,
New Atlas,
26 July 2025
Verb
-
Don't toss your wine corks—put them to use in your garden!—
Viveka Neveln,
Better Homes & Gardens,
23 July 2025
-
Just pulse the fillet in a food processor until finely chopped, then toss it with fresh, whole-wheat breadcrumbs (made in the same processor), as well as ginger, garlic, scallion and cilantro.—
The Washington Post,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
23 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Jig.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/jig. Accessed 6 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share