jazz

Formsjazzes, jazzing, jazzed

1. 1
   noununcountable

   A musical art form rooted in West African expression and the African American blues tradition, marked by blue notes, syncopation, swing, call and response, polyrhythms, and improvisation.

   The festival celebrated jazz from its New Orleans roots to modern fusion.

   Improvisation lies at the heart of jazz, where no two performances sound exactly alike.

   Note

   Nobody knows where the word comes from. It first turns up around 1912 in talk about baseball and reaches music only around 1915, and a link to jasm and jism is often suggested but unproven. As a genre name it is usually uncountable, and it works freely as a modifier. Samson Raphaelson and Alfred A. Cohn's The Jazz Singer (1927) has "your jazz songs."

2. 2
   verbtransitive

   To liven up something or make it brighter, more colorful, or more exciting.

   The designer jazzed up the lobby with bold artwork and warm lighting.

   We need to jazz up this presentation before the big meeting.

   Similarenliven, brighten, liven, spice, spruce

   Oppositedull, dampen, subdue

3. 3
   nounfigurativelyuncountable

   A quality of energy, excitement, and liveliness.

   The new manager brought a certain jazz to the office that everyone noticed.

   His speech had real jazz, full of energy and drive.

   Similarenergy, zest, verve, pizzazz, spark

   Oppositedullness, lethargy

   Note

   Energy here is a quality something has in some measure, so the word is usually measured out rather than counted. P. G. Wodehouse in 1923 wants "something with a bit of jazz to it." Phrases like a bit of, some and a certain suit it far better than a jazz. The same idea, put to work as a verb, is the "liven up" verb.

4. 4
   noununcountable

   Empty or foolish talk that means nothing.

   I'm tired of all that jazz about needing more meetings.

   She dismissed his excuses as pure jazz.

   Similarnonsense, rubbish, baloney, bull, bunk

5. 5
   noununcountable

   The general substance or makeup of something; various unspecified things.

   He talked about deadlines, budgets, and all that jazz.

   Bring your boots, gloves, and the rest of that jazz.

   Similarstuff, thingy, gizmo, gadget, gimmick

   Note

   A casual catch-all noun, close to stuff, and most at home at the end of a list. And all that jazz waves away whatever else belongs with the things just named. It can also point at clutter (all this jazz lying around) or at a whole body of know-how, as in Happy Days (1975): "they just don't teach that jazz in college."

6. 6
   verbintransitive

   To perform or play jazz music.

   The quartet jazzed late into the night at the corner bar.

   They jazz together whenever the old band reunites.

   Similarplay, jam, improvise, swing

7. 7
   verbintransitive

   To dance in time with jazz music.

   She jazzed across the floor with carefree energy.

   Crowds gathered to jazz beneath the string lights.

   Similardance, jive, boogie, swing, bop

8. 8
   noununcountable

   Something of excellent quality; the real, genuine thing.

   Collectors agreed the antique watch was the real jazz, not a cheap imitation.

   Her grandmother's recipe is the genuine jazz, passed down for generations.

   Similardeal, McCoy, article

   Oppositeimitation, fake

   Note

   Praise that leans on the definite article: the show was the jazz, the risotto is simply the jazz. Keep the article and a warm frame around it, because those are what signal approval. In tone it is the near opposite of the "nonsense" meaning, which dismisses rather than celebrates.

9. 9
   verbslangtransitive

   To destroy or ruin something.

   A single careless mistake jazzed the entire project.

   Don't let one rumor jazz your good reputation.

   Similarruin, wreck, destroy, spoil, scupper

   Oppositesave, salvage, rescue

   Note

   Slang for ruin, usually said after the damage is done: you've gone and jazzed it now. It is the near opposite of the "liven up" verb, so a bare "you've jazzed it" leans entirely on context. Did you wreck the thing or brighten it? Tone and situation have to answer, which makes this a word for casual talk among people who already share the scene.

10. 10
    verbslangtransitive

    To make something more complicated than it was.

    Adding three more approvals just jazzed an already slow system.

    Try not to jazz the schedule with extra steps.

    Similarcomplicate, overcomplicate, clutter, encumber, muddle

    Oppositesimplify, streamline

    Note

    Slang for making a thing tangled rather than broken, and it comes in degrees. "Don't jazz it too much!" warns against overdoing it, as if a little complication were tolerable and a lot were not. That sense of excess separates it from the "ruin" verb, where the harm is done outright.

Showing meanings only. Show all 16