boogie-woogie
noun
boo·gie-woo·gie
ˌbu̇-gē-ˈwu̇-gē 
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
Recent Examples on the Web
Recordings cover the entire musical spectrum, including jazz, blues, ragtime, bluegrass, boogie-woogie, country, rock and pop.
—
Dan Kelly, Kansas City Star, 11 May 2025
Scents of jazz, blues, Dixieland, boogie-woogie, soft-shoe, calypso, rag and rumba waft by in catchy new arrangements.
—Jesse Green, New York Times, 25 Apr. 2025
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
In that symbolic space, sounds like bluegrass, boogie-woogie, electric blues, jump blues, and Western swing exist.
—Marcus K. Dowling, The Tennessean, 22 Mar. 2024
His mother was an avid singer of spirituals, and a next-door neighbor, Lucy Jackson, helped Jones learn to tap out boogie-woogie on the keyboard.
—Steve Marble, Los Angeles Times, 4 Nov. 2024
The duo performs arrangements of classics from the stride piano, ragtime, boogie-woogie and swing era traditions.
—Linda McIntosh, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 May 2024
Never mind that his dad played acoustic guitar, while A.J. rose to prominence as a virtuoso pianist who excelled in blues, jazz and boogie-woogie.
—George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 Sep. 2023
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.
Dan Kelly, Kansas City Star, 11 May 2025
Scents of jazz, blues, Dixieland, boogie-woogie, soft-shoe, calypso, rag and rumba waft by in catchy new arrangements.
—Jesse Green, New York Times, 25 Apr. 2025
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
In that symbolic space, sounds like bluegrass, boogie-woogie, electric blues, jump blues, and Western swing exist.
—Marcus K. Dowling, The Tennessean, 22 Mar. 2024
His mother was an avid singer of spirituals, and a next-door neighbor, Lucy Jackson, helped Jones learn to tap out boogie-woogie on the keyboard.
—Steve Marble, Los Angeles Times, 4 Nov. 2024
The duo performs arrangements of classics from the stride piano, ragtime, boogie-woogie and swing era traditions.
—Linda McIntosh, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 May 2024
Never mind that his dad played acoustic guitar, while A.J. rose to prominence as a virtuoso pianist who excelled in blues, jazz and boogie-woogie.
—George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 Sep. 2023
Cite this Entry
“Boogie-woogie.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/boogie-woogie. Accessed 19 May. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share