jazz

jazz — noun

1. A style of music that began with African American musicians in the early 1900s,

1.nounB1
Definition

A style of music that began with African American musicians in the early 1900s, known for its strong but flexible rhythms, off-beat accents, and the freedom for players to invent new melodies on the spot.

Example

Bilal put on some jazz while cooking dinner for his family.

collocation: put on + jazz

The little club near the river has live jazz every Tuesday night.

collocation: live jazz + at [venue]

Common collocations
  • jazz music
  • jazz band
  • jazz musician
  • jazz club
  • jazz festival
  • play jazz
  • listen to jazz
  • modern jazz
  • live jazz
Synonyms
  • swing

    a sub-style of jazz popular in the 1930s–1940s, with a strong, danceable beat; not a general synonym for all jazz

  • bebop

    a faster, more complex style of jazz that emerged in the 1940s; not interchangeable with earlier jazz styles

  • the blues

    a related but distinct genre that heavily influenced jazz, focusing on emotional expression through a standard 12-bar structure

Grammar Patterns

jazz + noun (jazz music, jazz band)

play/listen to + jazz

jazz + verb (a style that…)

Usage Note

Uncountable — you do not say 'a jazz' or 'two jazzs'. To refer to a specific piece, say 'a jazz song', 'a jazz tune', or 'a piece of jazz'.

Common Mistakes

I listen to a jazz.
I listen to jazz.
jazz is uncountable and does not take an article when used generally.
He plays jazzy music.' (when meaning jazz genre)
He plays jazz music.
'jazzy' means 'like jazz in style' or 'colourful', not the genre itself.

2. A sweet apple with red and green skin and firm flesh, created by crossing Royal

2.nounB1
Definition

A sweet apple with red and green skin and firm flesh, created by crossing Royal Gala and Braeburn varieties and sold under a brand name.

Example

Lakan bought a bag of Jazz apples from the weekly farmer's market.

collocation: bag of Jazz apples

The Jazz apple has a firm texture and a sweet, tangy taste.

structure: [name] apple + has + [qualities]

Common collocations
  • Jazz apple
  • bag of Jazz apples
  • Jazz apple tree

Grammar Patterns

Jazz apple + noun (Jazz apple tree)

eat/have/buy + (a) Jazz apple

Jazz apples + verb

Usage Note

Always capitalised as 'Jazz apple' because it is a registered brand name. Common in British supermarkets; less widely known in the US.

Common Mistakes

I ate a jazz apple for lunch.' (lowercase)
I ate a Jazz apple for lunch.
the brand name retains its capital letter.

3. A casual phrase used after naming a few things to mean 'and other similar items

3.nounB2
Definition

A casual phrase used after naming a few things to mean 'and other similar items of that kind' without listing them all.

Example

The wedding needed flowers, music, a big cake, and all that jazz.

pattern: [item], [item], [item], and all that jazz

Christopher talked about his job, his new car, and all that jazz at dinner.

pattern: personal topics + and all that jazz

Common collocations
  • and all that jazz
Synonyms
  • and the like

    more formal and slightly dated; used in both writing and speech

  • and so on

    neutral in register; works in most contexts without sounding informal

  • and stuff

    very informal, more common in everyday conversation than 'and all that jazz'

Grammar Patterns

[list of items], and all that jazz

Usage Note

Only appears in the fixed phrase 'and all that jazz' at the end of a list. Do not separate the parts — you cannot say 'all that jazz and more' in this sense.

Common Mistakes

❌ 'I need pens, paper, and all that jazz for the meeting.' (correct structure but overly informal for a work context) — use 'and other supplies' instead in formal writing.

4. Statements that sound important or confident but have no real content, truth, or

4.nounB2
Definition

Statements that sound important or confident but have no real content, truth, or practical value behind them.

Example

Don't give me all that jazz about your best effort — you slept through class.

informal: 'don't give me that jazz' as refusal to believe

The salesman's promises were just jazz with no real proof behind them.

structure: [noun] + be just jazz

Common collocations
  • don't give me that jazz
  • all that jazz
  • just jazz
  • full of jazz
Synonyms
  • nonsense

    more direct and widely used; 'jazz' is slightly milder and more dated

  • hot air

    idiomatic with the same dismissive tone; 'hot air' feels more conversational

  • rubbish

    common in British English; stronger in dismissive force than 'jazz'

Antonyms
  • truth

    direct opposite — statements based on facts rather than empty talk

Grammar Patterns

that's (all) jazz

don't give me that jazz

be full of jazz

be just jazz

Usage Note

Always negative in tone — used to dismiss what someone says as worthless or dishonest. Common in fixed expressions like 'don't give me that jazz' (don't try to fool me).

Common Mistakes

❌ 'I enjoyed the jazz at the conference.' (confusing this sense with sense 1) — 'jazz' meaning empty talk is a different word; if you mean the music, use sense 1.

5. A high-energy dance style with sharp, powerful body movements, first widely danc

5.nounB1
Definition

A high-energy dance style with sharp, powerful body movements, first widely danced in the nineteen-twenties and often performed to big-band music.

Example

Maeve takes a jazz dance class at the community centre every Thursday.

collocation: take + jazz dance class

The dancers wore bright costumes and moved to a fast jazz beat.

collocation: jazz beat

Common collocations
  • jazz dance
  • jazz class
  • jazz beat
  • jazz style
  • do jazz
  • modern jazz (dance)
Synonyms
  • swing dance

    a partner dance style that emerged from swing music in the 1930s–40s; related to but distinct from earlier jazz dance

Grammar Patterns

jazz dance

jazz class

do / take / learn + jazz

Usage Note

Often paired with 'dance' ('jazz dance') to avoid confusion with the music genre. The dance style borrows the syncopated rhythms of jazz music and emphasises sharp, dramatic movements.

Common Mistakes

I am learning jazz.' (ambiguous — could mean music or dance)
I am learning jazz dance.
adding 'dance' removes ambiguity.
Idioms

and all that jazz

idiom

Used to refer to other similar things or activities without naming them all.

Maya packed her swimsuit, sunscreen, and all that jazz for the beach trip.

Are you bringing snacks, drinks, and all that jazz to the party?

jazz — verb

Word family

  • jazzy
    adjectiveB2
  • jazzman
    nounC1
  • jazzed
    adjectiveB2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All three are early 20th-century African American music styles that overlap with jazz but are distinct. The blues follows a fixed 12-bar chord pattern with a call-and-response structure and focuses on emotional expression through bending notes — jazz borrows heavily from the blues but is freer in form. Swing is actually a sub-style of jazz from the 1930s–1940s, played by large bands with a bouncy, danceable rhythm; not all jazz swings. Ragtime predates jazz and uses a strict, syncopated piano style with composed (not improvised) melodies — jazz musicians later freed that rhythm into improvisation. As a rough guide: if the musicians are improvising over a 12-bar pattern with bent notes, it is blues-based jazz; if a full big band is playing for dancers with a steady 'swung' feel, it is swing; if it is a solo piano piece with a bouncy left-hand pattern and no improvisation, it is ragtime.

bluesswing ↗ragtime

Common collocations

Nouns

  • jazz musician
  • jazz band
  • jazz club
  • jazz festival
  • jazz music
  • jazz concert

Phrases

  • a piece of jazz
  • the sound of jazz

Etymology

American English slangEnglish

The word 'jazz' first appeared in American English around 1912–1915 on the US West Coast, where it was a slang term meaning 'energy, spirit, or pep'. It was quickly adopted by musicians in New Orleans to describe the lively, improvised music they were playing. The exact origin is still debated — some trace it to a West African word (similar to 'jasi' in Manding, meaning 'to act out of the ordinary'), while others point to a French-derived Creole word. By the 1920s, the word had spread nationwide to refer both to the music genre and, more broadly, to 'lively or flashy behaviour'.