What does "jigger" mean?
A double-ended vessel, generally of stainless steel or other metal, one end of which typically measures 1½ fluid ounces (approx. 44 ml), the other typically 1 fluid ounce (approx. 30 ml).
Jigger
/ˈd͡ʒɪɡɚ/ noun, verb, slang
noun, verb, slang ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A double-ended vessel, generally of stainless steel or other metal, one end of which typically measures 1½ fluid ounces (approx. 44 ml), the other typically 1 fluid ounce (approx. 30 ml).
- Grammar: jigger is listed as noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: affair, alley, angler, apparatus.
- Useful contrasts: honest dealer, legitimate dealer, stabilize.
- Usage evidence: A good jigger will have a well formed lip that will pour a clean stream into the cocktail shaker or glass.
How to use "jigger"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "jigger" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "jigger" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "jigger" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "jigger" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "jigger" is acting as noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "affair" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "jigger", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A double-ended vessel, generally of stainless steel or other metal, one end of which typically measures 1½ fluid ounces (approx. 44 ml), the other typically 1 fluid ounce (approx. 30 ml). US
"A good jigger will have a well formed lip that will pour a clean stream into the cocktail shaker or glass."
- 2 A sandflea, Tunga penetrans, of the order Siphonaptera; chigoe.
- 3 A prison; a jail cell. archaic, slang
"According to a disciplinary notice, a correctional officer saw a "jigger string" coming from cell H-2 to Harper's cell. A jigger string is used to move objects between cells."
- 4 larval mite that sucks the blood of vertebrates including human beings causing intense irritation wordnet
- 5 A measure of 1½ fluid ounces (approx. 44 ml) of liquor. US
"“People are so dam’ sensitive about colour around here that you can’t even ask a barman for a jigger of rum. You have to ask for a jegro.”"
Show 31 more definitions
- 6 A larva of any of several mites in the family Trombiculidae; chigger, harvest mite.
- 7 An alleyway separating the backs of two rows of houses. dated, dialectal
""It's jus' through this jigger and round the back of the next block." She hurried through the alleyway in front of me; the pressing back-yard walls prevented anything more than single file."
- 8 any small mast on a sailing vessel; especially the mizzenmast of a yawl wordnet
- 9 A drink of whiskey. US, slang
- 10 The penis. dated, euphemistic, slang
"Well, they saw a little boy on the street and his penis was hanging out and they said his "jigger" was hanging out, and I said, "Well, maybe his mother didn't tell him differently.""
- 11 a small glass adequate to hold a single swallow of whiskey wordnet
- 12 The sieve used in sorting or separating ore.
- 13 A vagina. euphemistic, slang
"A tiny pulse from Lisette's thigh beat under my ear: stroke, stroke, stroke. I contemplated the thick red bush of her jigger, so close to my face."
- 14 One who jigs; a miner who sorts or cleans ore by the process of jigging.
- 15 A door. UK, obsolete
"On getting to the top of the stair, to my disappointment there was a padlock upon the garret jigger; I wheep't out my chive, broke it up, and picked the padlock with the back-spring."
- 16 A horizontal lathe used in producing flatware.
"Hand jiggers consisted of two iron frames with a spindle in each - the driving spindle with its iron belt pulley approximately 20 inches in diameter and the driven spindle with a small wooden pulley."
- 17 An illegal distillery. slang
- 18 A device used in the dyeing of cloth.
- 19 Ellipsis of jigger gun (“lock pick”). UK, abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis, slang
"Sizing up the padlock, Mac slapped at a webbing pocket for his lock jiggers, but felt nothing."
- 20 A pendulum rolling machine for slicking or graining leather.
- 21 A bicycle. UK, dated, slang
"He made the discovery that the bikestand was vacant and the machine gone. "Where the thump's my jigger?" he exclaimed."
- 22 A golf club used to play low flying shots to the putting green from short distances. dated
- 23 A warehouse crane.
- 24 A light tackle, consisting of a double and single block and the fall, used for various purposes, as to increase the purchase on a topsail sheet in hauling it home; the watch tackle.
- 25 A jiggermast.
- 26 A small fishing vessel, rigged like a yawl. New-England
- 27 A device used by fishermen to set their nets under the ice of frozen lakes.
- 28 One who dances jigs; an odd-looking person. archaic
- 29 A short board or plank inserted into a tree for a person to stand on while cutting off higher branches. New-Zealand
- 30 A placeholder name for any small mechanical device. US
"“an air-brush is a big thing-a-ma-bob or whatcha-callit, full of gas, and when you turn on a little jigger, it causes compressed air to squeeze out, which, in turn, going through a needle—” “That wasn't part of the contract, Mr. Jones,” […]"
- 31 A railway jigger, a small motorized or human powered vehicle used by railway workers to traverse railway tracks. New-Zealand
- 32 The bridge or rest for the cue in billiards.
- 33 An illicit electric shock device used to urge on a horse during a race.
- 34 A streetcar drawn by a single horse. archaic
- 35 A kind of early electric cash register. archaic
- 36 A total station or its predecessor, a theodolite. Australia, slang
Verb
- 1 To alter or adjust, particularly in ways not originally intended. transitive
"You'll have to jigger it from the original specifications to get it to work."
- 2 To imprison. obsolete, slang
"...offering to swear an alibi for the prisoner [...] to ensure an acquittal. Terms: £50 for value received. No pay if jiggered."
- 3 To use a jigger. transitive
- 4 To confound; to damn. archaic, slang
"jigger me, but I think you be turning jest into earnest,"
- 5 To move, send, or drive with a jerk; to jerk; also, to drive or send over with a jerk, as a golf ball. transitive
"He could jigger the ball o'er a steeple tall as most men would jigger a cop."
Example
"A good jigger will have a well formed lip that will pour a clean stream into the cocktail shaker or glass."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "jigger"?
Common synonyms include: affair, alley, angler, apparatus, article, artifact.
How do you use "jigger" in a sentence?
A good jigger will have a well formed lip that will pour a clean stream into the cocktail shaker or glass.
How do you pronounce "jigger"?
Pronounced /ˈd͡ʒɪɡɚ/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From jig + -er (agent suffix). Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary suggests a possible link to Old High German gīga (“fiddle”).
Etymology 2
Likely a corruption of chigoe. Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary suggests a possible derivation from Wolof jiga (“insect”).
Etymology 3
A slang term of unknown origin, originally meaning prison. Oxford English Dictionary suggests that its origin might be the same as Etymology 1, above.