noun

Jenga

JEHNG-guh

Jenga (noun) means a game in which players take turns pulling wooden blocks from a stacked tower and placing them on top, trying not to be the one who makes it collapse. Example: “We played Jenga after dinner and the tower crashed down on my turn.”

noun

A game in which players take turns pulling wooden blocks from a stacked tower and placing them on top, trying not to be the one who makes it collapse.

"We played Jenga after dinner and the tower crashed down on my turn."

"The kids built the Jenga tower as high as they could before it toppled."

Loosely, any situation or plan so delicately balanced that one wrong move could bring the whole thing down.

"The company's finances were a game of Jenga — pull one bad loan out and everything collapses."

"Renegotiating just one clause of the contract felt like playing Jenga with the whole deal."

How to use Jenga

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishThe block-stacking game — and, by extension, anything precariously balanced where one wrong move ruins everything.

Common pairings

play Jenga a game of Jenga the Jenga tower

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We played _____ after dinner and the tower crashed down on my turn.

Etymology

From the Swahili word jenga, meaning "to build" — fitting, since the game is all about building (and then un-building) a tower.

Origin: Swahili

Frequently asked questions

What does “Jenga” mean?

The word “Jenga” means a game in which players take turns pulling wooden blocks from a stacked tower and placing them on top, trying not to be the one who makes it collapse. In plain terms, the block-stacking game — and, by extension, anything precariously balanced where one wrong move ruins everything.

How do you pronounce “Jenga”?

“Jenga” is pronounced JEHNG-guh (/ˈd͡ʒɛŋɡə/ in IPA).

How do you use “Jenga” in a sentence?

Here is “Jenga” used in a sentence: “We played Jenga after dinner and the tower crashed down on my turn.”

What part of speech is “Jenga”?

“Jenga” is a noun.

Where does the word “Jenga” come from?

The word “Jenga” comes from Swahili. From the Swahili word jenga, meaning "to build" — fitting, since the game is all about building (and then un-building) a tower.

How many meanings does “Jenga” have?

“Jenga” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: a game in which players take turns pulling wooden blocks from a stacked tower and placing them on top, trying not to be the one who makes it collapse.