Jitterbug can be used as a noun to refer to a swing dancer or various types of swing dances, for example, the Lindy Hop, Jive, West Coast Swing, and East Coast Swing. This has led to confusion within the dance community, since jitterbug can refer to different kinds of swing dances. It can also be used as a verb to mean someone dancing to swing music. For example, "People were top-notch jitterbugging, jumping around, cutting loose and going crazy".

Various editions of Arthur Murray's "How To Become a Good Dancer" contain the following text. "There are hundreds of regional dances of the Jitterbug type", "A favorite with young New Yorkers is the Lindy Hop" (1947), "Whether it's called Swing, Lindy or Jitterbug.." (1954). "Formerly called Jitterbug, Lindy Hop and various other names in different parts of the country... Swing is the newer title"(1959)."