jean

noun

ˈjēn

plural jeans

: a durable twilled cotton cloth used especially for sportswear and work clothes

usually jeans

ˈjēnz

: pants usually made of denim or jean

… strolling with royal puppy Lupo through Kensington Gardens near the couple's two-bedroom cottage in a pair of jeans and rain boots.—Alicia Dennis et al.

Millions of people today buy designer jeans for double the price of equally durable generic jeans …—Jared Diamond

Examples of jean in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

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.

Related Stories Clarkson can be seen wearing a baseball hat, bright yellow T-shirt, baggy jeans and a backpack in the security footage. — Payton Turkeltaub, Variety, 14 Oct. 2026 Both are curled in chairs in an otherwise empty room in an upscale Hyde Park Corner hotel, modestly dressed in jeans, sneakers and casual tops. — Emily Zemler, Los Angeles Times, 14 Oct. 2026 Jeansmaxxing Even in a season of skirts, jeans hold their own. — Laird Borrelli-Persson, Vogue, 14 Oct. 2026 Plenty of celebrities like Chappell Roan, Paloma Elsesser and Katie Holmes have recently stepped out in looks that showcase fresh and unexpected ways of styling shoes for fall, from layering your heels to tucking your jeans into boots. — Jaden Thompson, Footwear News, 14 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for jean

Word History

Etymology

short for jean fustian, from Middle English Gene Genoa, Italy + fustian

First Known Use

1567, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler

The first known use of jean was in 1567

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Cite this Entry

Style

“Jean.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/jean. Accessed 19 Oct. 2026.

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Kids Definition

jean

noun

ˈjēn

: a heavy cotton cloth used especially for sportswear and work clothes

plural : pants made of jean, denim, or corduroy

Etymology

a shortened form of earlier jean fustian, literally "a fustian (heavy cotton cloth) from Genoa," from Middle English Gene "Genoa, Italy"

jean

noun

Examples of jean in a Sentence

Word History

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jean

noun

Examples of jean in a Sentence

Word History

Phrases Containing jean

Rhymes for jean

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Kids Definition

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