as in ruse
a clever often underhanded means to achieve an end
okay, buster, the jig is up
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
as in to fidget
to make jerky or restless movements
the mother could tell that her little boy had to use the bathroom because he was jigging
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of jig
Paul Taylor, The Athletic, 18 Mar. 2025
Once infused with the diabolical spirit, the guide is transformed into a buffoon, complete with a harlequin outfit—a mad joker and a dancing fool who does a little jig to the sound of a jazz trio.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 11 Mar. 2025
Joe Cermele, Outdoor Life, 17 Oct. 2024
Owned by the Chinese, the ship was flagged to Argentina and jigging in Argentinian waters.
—Ian Urbina, TIME, 1 Aug. 2024
See All Example Sentences for jig
Noun
The sight of unused substitute Moreno, encouraged by his team-mates, stepping forward to do an impromptu jig by the side of the pitch was one of them.
—Paul Taylor, The Athletic, 18 Mar. 2025
Once infused with the diabolical spirit, the guide is transformed into a buffoon, complete with a harlequin outfit—a mad joker and a dancing fool who does a little jig to the sound of a jazz trio.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 11 Mar. 2025
Verb
Diamond jigs were originally intended to be dropped straight down from a boat and jigged vertically.
—Joe Cermele, Outdoor Life, 17 Oct. 2024
Owned by the Chinese, the ship was flagged to Argentina and jigging in Argentinian waters.
—Ian Urbina, TIME, 1 Aug. 2024
See All Example Sentences for jig
Recent Examples of Synonyms for jig
Noun
-
Important claims, like whether or not the Los Angeles wildfires were merely a ruse to hide pedophiles.—
Matt Fleming,
Oc Register,
18 May 2025
-
But a Southern California man and his co-conspirators devised an elaborate ruse — involving a boatload of fake orders and manipulation of the company’s software — that netted them millions, prosecutors say.—
Kaitlyn Huamani,
Los Angeles Times,
14 May 2025
Verb
-
Sitting with his defense team in Judge Arun Subramanian’s lower Manhattan courtroom, a steely eyed and fidgeting Combs Friday morning listened as the ‘Me & U’ singer resumed her testimony under questioning from attorney Anna Estevao.—
Dominic Patten,
Deadline,
16 May 2025
-
Spieth, fidgeting a bit in his seat Tuesday, looked around for the first question.—
Brendan Quinn,
New York Times,
14 May 2025
Noun
-
That includes knowing the scheme in the run game, being violent at the point of attack.—
Dan Wiederer,
Chicago Tribune,
23 May 2025
-
The scheme was investigated by several federal agencies, including the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General (USPS-OIG) and IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI).—
Kelly Phillips Erb,
Forbes.com,
23 May 2025
Verb
-
An input lag of 4.6 milliseconds in the TV's dedicated Game mode is speedy enough for twitch reflexes, and the panel refreshes at 120Hz and supports variable refresh rates.—
K. Thor Jensen,
PC Magazine,
20 May 2025
-
The sight of his twitching arm, middle finger raised, is a fun touch to an otherwise-underwhelming send-off.—
Gayle Sequeira,
Vulture,
16 May 2025
Noun
-
The secret trick of reconciliation is that Congress gets a chance to add tweaks to the budget — to reconcile it — twice every federal fiscal year.—
Chris Stirewalt,
The Hill,
30 May 2025
-
Turn Strong Articles Into How-To Or Best-Practice Guides One of my favorite tricks is transforming strong articles into resources that stay relevant long-term, like how-to guides or best practices.—
Expert Panel®,
Forbes.com,
29 May 2025
Verb
-
Avoid jerking the floss or aggressive movements; instead, use smooth, gentle motions.—
Sherri Gordon,
Health,
5 May 2025
-
However, the pendulum appears to be jerking back toward the physically and mentally unhealthy skinny extreme–and a new TikTok trend serves as the latest example: SkinnyTok.—
Beth Ann Mayer,
Parents,
17 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
At that point, the OS will be fairly mature and connected to all the important devices.—
Daisuke Takimoto,
Wired News,
27 May 2025
-
This method typically includes large volumes of granular data such as cookies, device IDs and timestamps across multiple channels.—
Rahul Wankhede,
Forbes.com,
27 May 2025
Verb
-
Grapevine blanks Lubbock-Cooper for series lead Grapevine pitcher Luke Esquivel tossed a gem in Game 1 as the Mustangs shut out Lubbock-Cooper 4-0 in a Class 5A Division II regional final on Friday, May 23, at Brownwood High School.—
Charles Baggarly,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
24 May 2025
-
When serving, toss together individual portions and top with a few sliced cherry tomatoes.—
Sarah Martens,
Better Homes & Gardens,
24 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Jig.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/jig. Accessed 4 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share