jersey

noun

jer·​sey ˈjər-zē 

plural jerseys

1

a

: any of various close-fitting usually circular-knitted garments especially for the upper body

b

: an often loose-fitting shirt that is worn by a member of a sports team as part of a team uniform and that typically has the athlete's name and number on the back

a football jersey

2

: a plain weft-knitted fabric made of wool, cotton, nylon, rayon, or silk and used especially for clothing

3

capitalized : any of a breed of small short-horned predominantly yellowish brown or fawn dairy cattle noted for their rich milk

Examples of jersey in a Sentence

The dress is made of cotton jersey.

Recent Examples on the Web

Names adorned the backs of jerseys for the first time anyone who had been around the program for decades could remember. —Austin Knoblauch, Los Angeles Times, 3 Apr. 2024

When the team’s official uniforms were unveiled two weeks ago, some politically conservative soccer fans were critical of the pink away jersey that Adidas presented. —Christopher F. Schuetze, New York Times, 2 Apr. 2024

The ring, along with two of Kobe's jerseys from his days at Lower Merion High School, remained sold to Goldin. —Anna Lazarus Caplan, Peoplemag, 1 Apr. 2024

Rozier was even one of the players Wade exchanged jerseys with during his final NBA season in 2019. —Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 29 Mar. 2024

Literally cannot wait to see Chris Sale dealing with these new jerseys on a regular basis. —Daniel Kohn, SPIN, 27 Mar. 2024

This isn’t the first time that Nike has garnered criticism for an England football jersey. —George Ramsay, CNN, 22 Mar. 2024

Meanwhile, Bryan's seven bandmates, now decked out in Bucks jerseys (and one wearing a Cheesehead), took turns with blistering solos on guitar, drums, banjo and more. —Journal Sentinel, 21 Mar. 2024

That same weekend, the scheduled center referee for an Inter Miami-Orlando City match was scratched just a few hours before game time after photos of the official wearing an Inter Miami jersey were posted online. —Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 19 Mar. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Jersey, one of the Channel Islands

First Known Use

1587, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Kids Definition

jersey

noun

jer·​sey ˈjər-zē 

plural jerseys

1

: a plain knitted fabric

2

: a close-fitting knitted garment (as a shirt)

3

capitalized : any of a breed of small usually light tan dairy cattle having short horns and noted for their rich milk

Geographical Definition

Jersey

geographical name

Jer·​sey ˈjər-zē 

1

island in the English Channel; one of the Channel Islands; capital Saint Helier area 45 square miles (117 square kilometers)

Note: The Jersey breed of cattle, the knit fabric called jersey, and the types of upper-body garments called jerseys all derive their names from this island.

2

new jersey

—an informal name

Jerseyan

ˈjər-zē-ən 

noun

Jerseyite

ˈjər-zē-ˌīt 

noun