as in nonsense
unintelligible or meaningless talk
the soothsayer's predictions were nothing but mumbo jumbo
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Recent Examples of mumbo jumbo
This is the familiar mumbo jumbo that Hollywood loves to attach to surfing, to highlight the metaphysical connection that surfers have to the waves, the ocean, and maybe even the cosmos.
—
Frederick Dreier, Outside Online, 4 Mar. 2025
Trying to decode that spirit's mystical mumbo jumbo into actionable intelligence is a key part of your effort against the Dreamscourge.
—Ars Technica, 13 Feb. 2025
After being attacked by a lion on safari in Ghana, he’s given a mystical botanical serum mixed with lion’s blood and some mumbo jumbo about a tarot card.
—Mark Kennedy, Boston Herald, 13 Dec. 2024
Strong actors also can’t prop up a script built out of barely penetrable mumbo jumbo.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
See All Example Sentences for mumbo jumbo
Frederick Dreier, Outside Online, 4 Mar. 2025
Trying to decode that spirit's mystical mumbo jumbo into actionable intelligence is a key part of your effort against the Dreamscourge.
—Ars Technica, 13 Feb. 2025
After being attacked by a lion on safari in Ghana, he’s given a mystical botanical serum mixed with lion’s blood and some mumbo jumbo about a tarot card.
—Mark Kennedy, Boston Herald, 13 Dec. 2024
Strong actors also can’t prop up a script built out of barely penetrable mumbo jumbo.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
See All Example Sentences for mumbo jumbo
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mumbo jumbo
Noun
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But the jumble of words coming out of Harper’s mouth is nonsense.—
Amanda Whiting,
Vulture,
16 Feb. 2026
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Aside from how much human assistance the AIs had, the vast bulk of the submissions appear to be a lot of very convincing nonsense.—
Joseph Howlett,
Scientific American,
14 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Read a book and sip tea in front of the central fireplace, swim between the indoor and outdoor sections of the glimmering pool, and soak your aching quads in the hot tubs under the evergreens and aspens while listening to the peaceful babble of Gore Creek.—
Sarah Kuta,
Condé Nast Traveler,
6 Feb. 2026
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Now the babble about them is back.—
DP Opinion,
Denver Post,
19 Oct. 2025
Noun
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But the games must go on, and in the third installment, he’s forced to play even more torturous rounds that divide the players further, including a terrifying game of hide-and-seek and a deadly round of double Dutch.—
Monica Mercuri,
Forbes.com,
29 June 2025
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Girls playing double Dutch In this picture by Wayne F. Miller, young girls play double Dutch in the snow in 1940s Chicago.—
Kayla Randall,
Smithsonian Magazine,
11 Oct. 2024
Noun
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The bizarre reality of daily life in a Southeast Asian scam compound—the tactics, the tone, the mix of cruelty and upbeat corporate prattle—is revealed at an unprecedented level of resolution in a leak of documents to WIRED from a whistleblower inside one such sprawling fraud operation.—
Andy Greenberg,
Wired News,
27 Jan. 2026
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Trump prattles on about the economy while the actors freeze behind him in their ancient Galilee garb.—
Rosa Escandon,
Forbes.com,
13 Apr. 2025
Noun
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After the Patriots lost to the Seahawks in Super Bowl LX, there apparently was quite a bit of chatter among Bills fans on social media.—
Pete Grathoff,
Kansas City Star,
13 Feb. 2026
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Bella was more interested in the chatter around the film.—
Rachel Handler,
Vulture,
13 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Some children clustered there to jabber and run madly about, while others just wanted attention and knew how to get it.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
20 Oct. 2025
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And given that these are not professional actors, or even (in most cases) people who aspire to be, LaBeouf’s words to them, full of deadly serious jabber about empathy and ego, are pumped up with an intensity that feels overdone and inappropriate.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
19 May 2025
Noun
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Switch Out Your Throw Pillows Bringing some new throw pillows into the mix can take your living room from blah to beautiful, designers say.—
Sarah Lyon,
The Spruce,
31 Jan. 2026
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In other words, our complexion is looking pallid, our skin is dry, and our overall appearance is just a little blah at the moment.—
Alyssa Grabinski,
PEOPLE,
2 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Mumbo jumbo.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mumbo%20jumbo. Accessed 21 Feb. 2026.
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