juggle
/ˈdʒʌɡl/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈdʒʌɡl/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈjə-gəl/ (ame, mw)
juggle — verb
- jugglepresent simple I / you / we / they
- juggleshe / she / it
- juggledpast simple
- juggling-ing form
1. to repeatedly toss small items skyward and catch them again, releasing each new
to repeatedly toss small items skyward and catch them again, releasing each new throw before the previous one lands, so that more than one item is always in flight — typically as a performance skill.
Niran can juggle five tennis balls without dropping any of them.
transitive: juggle + countable objects
A street performer was juggling burning torches in front of the cathedral.
progressive aspect with performance context
Aoi learned to juggle three oranges by watching videos online.
The clown juggled while riding a tiny bicycle around the circus ring.
- toss
single throw, not the repeated catch-and-release pattern
文法句型
juggle + [objects]
juggle (intransitive)
用法筆記
Object is usually a plural countable noun naming small, throwable items (balls, clubs, knives, oranges). With no object, the activity itself is implied.
常見錯誤
2. in a sport such as football or rugby, to repeatedly tap or bounce the ball with
in a sport such as football or rugby, to repeatedly tap or bounce the ball with your foot, knee, or hand so that it does not touch the ground.
Mauricio juggled the ball on his knee for almost two minutes before letting it drop.
collocation: juggle on [body part]
Young players often practise juggling a football to improve their first touch.
The winger juggled the rugby ball briefly before passing to his teammate.
Matthew can juggle a tennis ball on his racket more than fifty times.
- keep up
British football phrasing for the same action
文法句型
juggle + the ball
用法筆記
Object is always 'the ball' (singular) plus a sport context. Distinguish from sense 1: here the ball never leaves the player's body or equipment for long.
3. to plan your time and energy carefully enough to keep going with several demandi
to plan your time and energy carefully enough to keep going with several demanding parts of life — for example a job plus studies, or work plus a young family — without any of them breaking down.
Esme juggles a full-time job and night classes in accounting.
juggle + [activity X] and [activity Y]
Many parents have to juggle work, childcare, and household chores every day.
three-item list pattern
Roya was struggling to juggle her medical training with caring for her elderly mother.
It can be exhausting to juggle a busy career and a young family at the same time.
文法句型
juggle + [two or more nouns]
juggle X and Y
juggle X with Y
用法筆記
Objects are abstract nouns naming roles, jobs, or responsibilities (work, family, studies). Often followed by 'and' or 'with' linking the competing demands.
常見錯誤
4. to rearrange numbers, accounts, or schedules — sometimes dishonestly — so that t
to rearrange numbers, accounts, or schedules — sometimes dishonestly — so that the overall picture looks better, fits a target, or makes a difficult plan work.
The treasurer was accused of juggling the figures to hide a large shortfall.
negative use: hiding bad results
Christopher had to juggle the schedule so every staff member got a weekend off.
neutral use: making a plan fit
Small business owners often juggle their accounts to get through a slow month.
Investigators discovered that the manager had been juggling the sales records for years.
- manipulate
stronger and almost always negative — implies clear dishonesty
- doctor
informal; specifically about altering records dishonestly
文法句型
juggle + [figures/accounts/data]
用法筆記
Object is usually numerical or organisational (figures, accounts, books, schedules). Context — often a verb of accusation or discovery — signals whether the rearranging is honest or dishonest.
5. in older or literary English, to deceive someone by clever, sly behaviour — maki
in older or literary English, to deceive someone by clever, sly behaviour — making them believe something that is not true.
The old novel describes how the merchant juggled his customers with false promises of quick riches.
literary register: juggle + person + with [means]
Faisal warned the village not to be juggled by the smooth talk of the visiting preacher.
passive: be juggled by [deceiver]
In Elizabethan plays, villains often juggle innocent characters into giving up their fortunes.
The conman juggled wealthy widows out of their savings for nearly a decade.
文法句型
juggle + [person]
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 4: that sense rearranges numbers; this sense deceives people. Now mostly archaic — modern English prefers 'deceive', 'trick', or 'con'.
6. to hold one or more things in your hands or arms so awkwardly that they nearly s
to hold one or more things in your hands or arms so awkwardly that they nearly slip or fall — usually because you have too many at once or are doing something else at the same time.
Imani juggled two cups of coffee and her phone as she tried to open the office door.
concrete scene: too many items + extra task
The waiter juggled a tray of glasses as he squeezed between the crowded tables.
Tanvi was juggling a baby, a nappy bag, and the car keys at the front door.
Élise juggled the heavy parcel and her umbrella as she stepped off the bus.
- balance
neutral — does not carry the sense of near-dropping that juggle has here
文法句型
juggle + [object]
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 1: there the throwing is deliberate and skilled; here the holding is reluctant and clumsy. Often paired with another action (open a door, climb stairs, answer the phone) that explains the difficulty.
juggle — noun
1. the difficult task of coping with several competing demands at once — and, in a
the difficult task of coping with several competing demands at once — and, in a more negative use, an act of shuffling facts or figures so that the overall picture looks better than it really is.
Raising twins while finishing her thesis was a daily juggle for Aoi.
competing demands sense: a juggle for [person]
Running the cafe and caring for her mother became an exhausting juggle.
The auditors uncovered a careful juggle of the year-end figures designed to please investors.
Mauricio described his first month as a single father as one long juggle between work and school runs.
- balancing act
more common in modern English for the competing-demands meaning
- manipulation
covers only the negative figure-rearranging meaning
文法句型
a juggle of/between + [activities]
a juggle to + [infinitive]
用法筆記
Usually singular and often preceded by an adjective (constant, daily, exhausting, careful). The negative reading (rearranging figures) needs context — a financial or investigative setting — to come through.
2. a single performance in which a person keeps several objects moving through the
a single performance in which a person keeps several objects moving through the air by tossing and catching each one in turn, the way a circus juggler does.
Noa's first juggle with the flaming clubs drew loud applause from the festival crowd.
countable noun: a juggle with [objects]
The performer ended each juggle by catching all five balls behind her back.
A short juggle with three apples was enough to amuse the children in the waiting room.
Every juggle in the routine was carefully timed to the music.
- juggling act
the more usual modern phrasing
文法句型
a juggle of [objects]
用法筆記
Always countable; often modified by an adjective of length or skill (short, brief, smooth, clumsy). Far less common than the verb — most speakers say 'juggling' instead.