DJ

1 of 3

noun

ˈdē-ˌjā 

plural DJs

: disc jockey

When they [the Beatles] arrived in the U.S. in 1964, John Lennon spent his first night in New York in his hotel room, calling up radio DJs and asking them to play the Ronettes.

—Rob Sheffield

A hip-hop DJ's roles can be multi-faceted: finding the music for dancing, playing the popular tracks, being the rapper's background band, having, maintaining, and providing the equipment, producing the beats, and not least improvising instrumental solos.

—Kjetil Falkenberg Hansen

—sometimes used as a title in the stage names of disc jockeys

Jeffrey Allen Townes, better known as DJ Jazzy Jeff, is a producer, deejay and actor …

—Greg Bishop

DJ

2 of 3

verb

DJed also DJ'd; DJing; DJs

transitive + intransitive

: to perform the role of a disc jockey : to act as a DJ for

Snoop Dogg has revealed that he turned down [an] offer to DJ a party for Michael Jordan.

—Will Lavin

But she's not just DJing behind turntables.

—Rodney Ho

The distinctiveness of DJing in hip hop started with the development of adroit techniques on two turntables.

—Patrick Rivers

There was a festive vibe as [Herman] Matfes DJ'd the event with fun Hanukkah and holiday music.

—Lani Mustacchi

… Paris Hilton DJed a New Year's Eve party on her own virtual island this year.

—Brad Thomas

DJ

3 of 3

abbreviation

1

district judge

2

doctor of jurisprudence

3

dust jacket

Examples of DJ in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Other youngsters enjoying the night out include budding DJ Matan Lavi (Nevo Katan), whose parents Katya (Lena Fraifeld) and Gadi (Lior Miller) are on the verge of separation. — Leslie Felperin, HollywoodReporter, 16 Sep. 2026

This includes the raptor house don DJ Babatr; hard fusion father DJ Yirvin; Luis Garban (who plays as Cardopusher and Safety Trance); MPeach; and Phran. — Los Angeles Times, 15 Sep. 2026

Shot in the historic Montmartre neighborhood in Paris, the film tells a cross-cultural story of unexpected connections and stars emerging American rapper ian and French DJ Paloma Le Friant. — David Moin, Footwear News, 15 Sep. 2026

As in years past, the DJ Diplo will curate a dance-music playlist at Diplo’s HonkyTonk, and celebrity chef Guy Fieri will offer cooking demonstrates at his Stagecoach Smokehouse. — Joseph Hudak, Rolling Stone, 14 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1946, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1948, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

DJ

noun

ˈdē-ˌjā

often not capitalized

: disc jockey