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 names 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

Wedding guests were gathering on the dance floor at a New Hampshire country club Saturday evening when the DJ warned the room to expect some loud noises from a dish-breaking tradition popular at Greek weddings. —Chris Boyette, CNN Money, 21 Sep. 2025

In addition to the main cast, Beau Bridges, Nancy Lenehan, Alyssa Milano and DJ Qualls made frequent appearances on the show, which concluded in 2009. —Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 20 Sep. 2025

Isaac Brown #1 of the Louisville Cardinals runs the ball against DJ Barksdale #32 of the James Madison Dukes during the second half at L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium on September 5, 2025 in Louisville, Kentucky. —Kilty Cleary, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Sep. 2025

The brand nabbed the DJ hot on the heels of his Coachella debut last year and his record-breaking Dil-Luminati Tour, India’s fastest-selling and highest-grossing concert tour in history. —Angela Velasquez, Sourcing Journal, 19 Sep. 2025

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