Definition of "jumping jack" [jump•ing jack]

• A toy figure with jointed limbs that can be made to dance by pulling an attached string. (noun)
• Sports A physical exercise performed by jumping to a position with the legs spread wide and the hands touching overhead and then returning to a position with the feet together and the arms at the sides. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• ""Once," said the shaggy man, "I had a jumping jack like that, with two faces.""