jazz

1 of 2

noun

ˈjaz 

1

: music of African American origin typically played with a syncopated steady rhythm and using repeating harmonic sequences (as of popular songs or the blues) as the basis for extemporaneous improvised solos and in which instruments often imitate vocal qualities of phrasing, timbre, and pitch (as blue notes)

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 noun

a 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

4

: 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

jazzlike

ˈjaz-ˌlīk 

adjective

jazz

2 of 2

verb

jazzed; jazzing; jazzes

transitive verb

1

a

: enliven

—usually used with up

b

: accelerate

2

: to play in the manner of jazz

intransitive verb

1

: to go here and there : gad

2

: to dance to or play jazz

Synonyms of jazz

Noun

• nuts
• nonsense
• garbage
• blah
• rubbish
• stupidity
• silliness
• punk
• drool
• beans
• fiddle
• bunk
• craziness

Verb

• stimulate
• zip (up)
• liven (up)

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 Web

Noun

Want to listen to jazz or bluegrass groups or house DJs at an outdoor concert? —Fritz Hahn, Washington Post, 1 May 2026

From one of the world’s best jazz guitarists to the return of star soprano Renee Fleming and a new program from Smuin Contemporary Ballet, there are a lot of great shows to catch this weekend. —Randy McMullen, Mercury News, 30 Apr. 2026

Verb

Born to Lorraine and Henri Pommier in Westport, Connecticut, on Feb 27, 1948, Pommier was jazzed after that experience with Greene. —Howard Cohen, Miami Herald, 21 Apr. 2026

Finding their own institutions resistant to change, the four presidents felt that maybe a new college could jazz things up. —Christopher Benfey, The New York Review of Books, 19 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun

origin unknown

First Known Use

Noun

1913, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Verb

1914, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Phrases Containing jazz

• free jazz
• jazz dance
• jazz-rock
• jazz up

Rhymes for jazz

• as
• has
• topaz
• whereas

Kids Definition

jazz

1 of 2 noun

ˈjaz 

1

: American music marked by lively rhythms with unusual accents and often by melodies made up by musicians as they play

2

: empty talk

don't give me any of that jazz

3

: similar but unspecified things : stuff

jazz

2 of 2 verb

1

: enliven

—usually used with up

2

: to play in the manner of jazz