juggling

IPA/dʒˈʌɡlɪŋ/
KK[dʒˈʌɡəlɪŋ]IPA/dʒˈʌɡəlɪŋ/

juggling — noun

1. the act of keeping several objects moving in the air by repeatedly throwing and

1.nounB1
Definition

the act of keeping several objects moving in the air by repeatedly throwing and catching them, usually performed as a way to amuse people or show skill

Example

Haruki spent months learning the juggling of three oranges without dropping any.

pattern: the juggling of [objects]

The circus performer amazed the crowd with a juggling routine using five flaming torches.

Common collocations
  • juggling act
  • juggling routine
  • juggling balls
  • juggling clubs
  • juggling torches
Synonyms
  • jongleur

    an older, historical term for a juggler who also told stories or sang

  • tossing

    a simpler, less skilful motion; juggling involves multiple items, not just one

Antonyms
  • dropping

    the failure to catch the objects during a juggling attempt

Grammar Patterns

the juggling of [plural noun objects]

Usage Note

Often appears in compounds such as 'juggling act', 'juggling routine', or 'juggling balls' to describe a specific performance.

Common Mistakes

His juggling of the ball to his teammate was perfect.
His passing of the ball to his teammate was perfect.
juggling means keeping several items in continuous motion, not throwing an object once to someone else.

2. the challenge of giving enough time and attention to several different tasks or

2.nounB1
Definition

the challenge of giving enough time and attention to several different tasks or areas of life at once, such as work, study, and family

Example

The juggling of work, school, and family left Amara exhausted by Friday evening.

pattern: the juggling of [three domains]

Sofia's juggling of three part-time jobs helped pay for her university tuition.

Common collocations
  • juggling of work and family
  • juggling responsibilities
  • juggling priorities
  • juggling act
Synonyms
  • balancing

    emphasises keeping things equal rather than keeping them all going

  • multitasking

    focuses on doing several things at once, but 'juggling' highlights the difficulty of competing demands

Antonyms
  • focus

    concentrating on one task at a time, the opposite of dividing attention

Grammar Patterns

the juggling of [noun phrase] and [noun phrase]

Usage Note

Commonly paired with nouns that describe competing areas of life: 'juggling of work and family', 'juggling of responsibilities'.

Common Mistakes

The juggling of time between hobbies is hard.
Managing time between hobbies is hard.
'juggling' implies at least two serious competing demands, not casual scheduling.

juggling — verb

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/2

All four words describe dealing with multiple demands, but they differ in emphasis. 'Juggle' (verb/2) suggests rapid switching between competing tasks under pressure, like someone rushing between work calls, children, and dinner. 'Balance' implies keeping things equal and stable — you balance work and life by giving them roughly the same weight. 'Multitask' is a more technical, neutral term for doing several things at the same time, such as answering emails while listening to a meeting. 'Manage' is the broadest, covering planning, organising, and controlling tasks without the sense of frantic switching that 'juggle' carries. For example: 'She manages a team of ten' (general leadership), but 'She juggles a team of ten plus her own projects' (pulled in many directions at once). Choose 'juggle' when you want to highlight the difficulty and speed of switching between roles.

juggle ↗balance ↗multitask ↗manage ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • juggle commitments
  • juggle responsibilities
  • juggle priorities
  • juggle demands
  • juggle roles

Adverbs

  • juggle successfully
  • juggle carefully
  • juggle constantly
  • juggle effortlessly
  • juggle skilfully

Phrases

  • a juggling act
  • juggle multiple balls
  • keep all the plates spinning

Prepositions

  • juggle between
  • juggle with

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

The word 'juggle' comes from Middle English 'jogelen', borrowed from Old French 'jogler' meaning 'to play tricks or jest'. The Old French verb came from Late Latin 'ioculari' ('to jest'), which traces back to Latin 'iocus' ('joke' or 'sport'). The original sense in English involved entertaining by magic or trickery. By the 1800s, the meaning shifted toward the physical skill of throwing and catching objects. The metaphorical sense of managing competing demands emerged in the mid-1900s and is now the most common use in everyday English.