English Reference
Noun

jumble

n. C / U
B2 Upper Intermediate US /ˈdʒəmbəɫ/ UK /dʒˈʌmbəl/ jum·ble UK spelling jumbles

n.a messy, confused mix of things that are all mixed together. You use this when things are not in order or when you can't see clearly because of the mess.

n.a confused, disorderly mixture or collection of objects. Often used to describe a state of mental confusion or a physical mess.


SIMPLE

The children left a jumble of toys on the floor.

CONTEXTUAL

After the party ended, the kitchen was a total jumble of empty bottles and dirty plates.

COMPLEX

The detective spent hours sorting through the jumble of paperwork on the desk, hoping to find a single document that would clear up the mystery.


From Middle English jumbelen, alteration of jumbren, jombren, a variant of jumpren, frequentative of jumpen (“to jump”), equal to jump + -le. More at jumber, jump, jumper.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry
Origin Middle English jumbelen
Level B2 · Upper Intermediate
Frequency Occasional
Updated