boogie-woogie

noun

boo·​gie-woo·​gie ˌbu̇-gē-ˈwu̇-gē How to pronounce boogie-woogie (audio)
ˌbü-gē-ˈwü-gē
: a percussive style of playing blues on the piano characterized by a steady rhythmic ground bass of eighth notes in quadruple time and a series of improvised melodic variations

Examples of boogie-woogie in a Sentence

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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.
The opening, pastoral numbers have a quaintly Coplandesque sound, which is followed by styles like the foxtrot, boogie-woogie and 19th-century parlor song. — Joshua Barone, New York Times, 22 Mar. 2025 One of our subjects is a packinghouse worker who loved playing boogie-woogie on the piano. — Monica Eng, Axios, 29 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

origin unknown

First Known Use

1928, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of boogie-woogie was in 1928

Rhymes for boogie-woogie

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boogie board
boogie-woogie
boogum
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Cite this Entry

“Boogie-woogie.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/boogie-woogie. Accessed 2 Apr. 2025.

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Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about boogie-woogie

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