jean

noun

ˈjēn 

plural jeans

1

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

2

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

see also blue jeans, mom jeans

Examples of jean in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Late last month for example, Bieber styled the understated shoe with jeans and a white T-shirt for a casual yet polished outfit, similar to Zendaya’s look consisting of white airy pants and a black long-sleeve top. —Rachel Trujillo, PEOPLE, 26 May 2026

Easy to style with jeans, shorts, mini skirts, or linen pants, this summer capsule wardrobe staple offers endless styling options. —Caroline Hughes, Travel + Leisure, 26 May 2026

Slouchy Leather Jacket + Distressed Jeans Distressed, or even reworked, jeans and a leather jacket are a classic model-off-duty combo. —Christina Holevas, Vogue, 25 May 2026

Swift opted for a black vest top with a chain detail by Stella McCartney, paired with wide-leg jeans, a black denim jacket, and black sandals, all from the same designer. —Meg Walters, InStyle, 24 May 2026

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

Phrases Containing jean

• jean shorts

Rhymes for jean

• bean
• bein
• bien
• bouin
• clean
• deen
• diene
• gene
• glean
• keen
• lien
• mean

Kids Definition

jean

noun

ˈjēn 

1

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

2

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"