JPEG

noun

ˈjā-ˌpeg 

plural JPEGs

: a computer file format for the compression and storage of digital images

The file format commonly used for photos is the highly compressed JPEG format …

—Consumer Reports

also : an image stored in this format

… seems convenient until you unknowingly open a virus-laden executable program disguised as a JPEG.

—Scott McNealy

Examples of JPEG in a Sentence

Most of the pictures are JPEGs.

Recent Examples on the Web

The app has manual controls, including shutter speed and ISO, and can capture photos in RAW and JPEG. —Julian Chokkattu, Wired News, 21 June 2025

The platform handles transactions and delivers JPEG files to customers. —Kathy Kristof, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 June 2025

As well as shooting videos, the camera can also take still images with resolutions of up to 20 megapixels in JPEG format. —Mark Sparrow, Forbes.com, 6 June 2025

Take a Microsoft Office document, a JPEG, CAD drawings, or other file format type, and turn it into a PDF in seconds. —New Atlas, 29 May 2025

One set of instructions demanded a JPEG, while another indicated that PNG and GIF files would also be accepted. —Amanda Chicago Lewis, Harpers Magazine, 29 Apr. 2025

Key Insight: Image compression: Use image formats like JPEG and PNG, and compress them to reduce file size without sacrificing quality. —Allbusiness, Forbes.com, 15 May 2025

The shutterbug also refused to give the bride the unedited JPEG files from her wedding day. —Raven Brunner, People.com, 18 Apr. 2025

Take a Microsoft Office document, a JPEG, CAD drawings, or other file format type and turn it into a PDF in seconds. —New Atlas, 1 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Joint Photographic Experts Group

First Known Use

1988, in the meaning defined above