1
a
: American music developed especially from ragtime and blues and characterized by propulsive syncopated rhythms, polyphonic ensemble playing, varying degrees of improvisation, and often deliberate distortions of pitch and timbre
b
: popular dance music influenced by jazz and played in a loud rhythmic manner
2
: jazz dance
takes classes in ballet, tap, and jazz
… No, jazz dance is not dead. Jazz in the twenty-first century is a mix of roots and fruits of the form, traditions, progressions, and transgressions.—
Melanie George
—often used before another nounMelanie Georgea jazz dancer
jazz choreography
3
: similar but unspecified things : stuff
I love the life of the open sea. It's so … free, that wind, and the waves, and all that jazz.—John Updike
John Updike4
: empty talk : nonsense sense 1b(1)
Don't give me that jazz about guys still fighting for jobs. Please. If it's this close to the regular season and you're still fighting for a roster spot … your odds of having a long NFL career are less than slim.—Tom Jones
Tom JonesSynonyms
Noun
- applesauce [slang]
- balderdash
- baloney
- boloney
- beans
- bilge
- blah
- blah-blah
- blarney
- blather
- blatherskite
- blither
- bosh
- bull [slang]
- bunk
- bunkum
- buncombe
- claptrap
- codswallop [British]
- crapola [slang]
- crock
- drivel
- drool
- fiddle
- fiddle-faddle
- fiddlesticks
- flannel [British]
- flapdoodle
- folderol
- falderal
- folly
- foolishness
- fudge
- garbage
- guff
- hogwash
- hokeypokey
- hokum
- hoodoo
- hooey
- horsefeathers [slang]
- humbug
- humbuggery
- malarkey
- malarky
- moonshine
- muck
- nerts [slang]
- nonsense
- nuts
- piffle
- poppycock
- punk
- rot
- rubbish
- senselessness
- silliness
- slush
- stupidity
- taradiddle
- tarradiddle
- tommyrot
- tosh
- trash
- trumpery
- twaddle
Verb
Examples of jazz in a Sentence
Noun
What's all this jazz about you leaving?
She loves hiking, biking, and all that jazz.
Verb
your assignment is to jazz up the design of that Web page
Recent Examples on the WebHannah Dailey, Billboard, 22 Oct. 2024
The novel is set on the Côte d’Azur in the jazz era.
—Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 21 Oct. 2024
Greg Braxton, Los Angeles Times, 9 Oct. 2024
He is jazzed about the advancements and attention on the most common form of hair loss called androgenetic alopecia, also known as female and male pattern hair loss.
—Cindy Krischer Goodman, Sun Sentinel, 24 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for jazz 
Noun
In late September, Gaga dropped Harlequin, a companion album that coincided with Joker: Folie à Deux; the project debuted at No. 20 on the Billboard 200 and marked her third No. 1 on the Billboard jazz charts.
—Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 22 Oct. 2024
The novel is set on the Côte d’Azur in the jazz era.
—Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 21 Oct. 2024
Verb
The audience inside the largest auditorium at Norwalk’s new Milagro Cinemas was jazzed.
—Greg Braxton, Los Angeles Times, 9 Oct. 2024
He is jazzed about the advancements and attention on the most common form of hair loss called androgenetic alopecia, also known as female and male pattern hair loss.
—Cindy Krischer Goodman, Sun Sentinel, 24 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for jazz
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'jazz.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near jazz
Cite this Entry
“Jazz.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/jazz. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
jazz
2 of 2 verb1
: enliven
—usually used with up
2
: to play in the manner of jazz
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