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 name 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

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

An earlier version of the scathing diss surfaced on the internet on Saturday (April 13) and DJ Akademiks premiered the CDQ version hours later. —Michael Saponara, Billboard, 15 Apr. 2024

In 2022, the influencer launched a vodka brand – Sunny Vodka – with DJ Zach Bia. —Nicole Fell, The Hollywood Reporter, 15 Apr. 2024

On April 13, the couple, both 34, were spotted by fans in the crowd of DJ Dom Dolla's set at the music festival. —Charlotte Phillipp, Peoplemag, 15 Apr. 2024

She was supposed to take the stage at the Milwaukee Bucks arena at 9 p.m., an hour after longtime friend DJ Boof's set. —Journal Sentinel, 14 Apr. 2024

Their conversation, edited for length and clarity, is presented in a question and answer format to share DJ’s story most authentically in his own words. —Mará Rose Williams, Kansas City Star, 14 Apr. 2024

So, by listening to DJ Paul, Juicy J and DJ Zirk and everybody else down to Squeaky, everybody, seeing their production and trying to make something as triumphant as that…Lil Jon, too. —Angel Diaz, Billboard, 3 Apr. 2024

Additional performers will be announced in the lead up to the festival, which also features DJ Irie and DJ E-V. General sale for the event will begin on Friday, April 5 at 10 a.m. CT. —Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 2 Apr. 2024

Their leading scorer is guard DJ Horne, a Raleigh native who transferred from Arizona State to N.C. —Becky Sullivan, NPR, 29 Mar. 2024

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