Jew

noun

ˈjü 

1

: a person belonging to a continuation through descent or conversion of the ancient Jewish people

2

: one whose religion is Judaism

3

a

: a member of the tribe of Judah

b

: israelite

4

: a member of a nation existing in Palestine from the sixth century b.c. to the first century a.d.

Usage of Jew and Jewish

The noun Jew is commonly used by people who identify as such, often as a deeply meaningful designation. However, use of the term by those who are not Jewish in generalizations about Jewish people, and especially in generalizations about Jewish people that draw on stereotypes, is highly offensive. Adjectival use by those who are not Jewish is also commonly considered offensive; Jewish is used before nouns instead.

my Jewish neighbor

Examples of Jew in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Kuper himself is a Jew, but also not an anti-semitism denier. —John Tamny, Forbes.com, 30 July 2025

His father Sid was a professional gambler, the only Jew allowed to run a card game in Little Italy. —Scott M. Reid, Oc Register, 29 July 2025

There is no excuse for attacking a Chicago Jew as a proxy for the Israel Defense Forces. —Chicago Tribune, 27 July 2025

As a mostly observant Jew, Tevye’s life has been defined by tradition. —David Lyman, The Enquirer, 25 July 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French ju, jeu, from Latin Judaeus, from Greek Ioudaios, from Hebrew Yĕhūdhī, from Yĕhūdhāh Judah, Jewish kingdom

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing Jew

• Jew's harp

Rhymes for Jew

• blew
• blue
• boo
• brew
• chew
• chou
• clue
• coo
• coup
• crew
• cue
• dew

Kids Definition

Jew

noun

ˈjü 

1

: one of the ancient Hebrews or a descendant of the ancient Hebrews

2

: one whose religion is Judaism

Jewish

ˈjü-ish

adjective