Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
×

An Encyclopædia Britannica Company

jack–of–all–trades

play
noun \ˌjak-əv-ˌȯl-ˈtrādz\

Definition of jack–of–all–trades

plural

jacks–of–all–trades

  1. :  a person who can do passable work at various tasks :  a handy versatile person

See jack–of–all–trades defined for English-language learners

See jack–of–all–trades defined for kids

Explore Merriam-Webster

alt-596f95fe451e7
'Drought' & 'Drouth' Take Us Back In Time
alt-59760690a61d7
Trending: Trump Tweets, We Define: 'Beleaguered'
video-title-words-of-the-year-1066
Words of the Year: 1066
image1358596246
Words About Word Play

First Known Use of jack–of–all–trades

1618

Phrases Related to JACK–OF–ALL–TRADES

Related Phrases

JACK–OF–ALL–TRADES Defined for English Language Learners

jack-of-all-trades

play
noun

Definition of jack–of–all–trades for English Language Learners

  • : a person who has many skills : a person who can do many different jobs

JACK–OF–ALL–TRADES Defined for Kids

jack–of–all–trades

play
noun \ˌjak-əv-ˌȯl-ˈtrādz\

Definition of jack–of–all–trades for Students

plural

jacks–of–all–trades

\ˌjaks-əv-\

  1. :  a person who can do several kinds of work fairly well

Learn More about jack–of–all–trades

  1. Spanish Central: Translation of jack–of–all–trades

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up jack–of–all–trades? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show hide

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

WORD OF THE DAY

wreak

play

to bring about or cause (something)

Get Word of the Day daily email!

TRENDING NOW

  1. beleaguer 'Being subjected to constant or repeated trouble or harassment'

  2. scaramouch A new White House communications director

  3. non sequitur “It does not follow”

  4. admiral's mast A massive search ends with an 'admiral's mast'.

  5. calumny 'An untrue statement that is made to damage someone's reputation'

SEE ALL

BROWSE DICTIONARY

jack pine

Test Your Vocabulary

The Emoji Quiz

  • emoji-the-quiz
  • What phase of the moon is this: 🌖 ?
Name That Thing

Test your visual vocabulary with our 10-question challenge!

TAKE THE QUIZ
Add Diction

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play

image1358596246
Words About Word Play

Don't just eat your words—play with them!

alt-596f95fe451e7
'Drought' & 'Drouth' Take Us Back In Time

A variant spelling with a long history

alt-59721dd897313
The 'Best' Way to Sign Off On An E-mail

Give them your best

image386126722
Words and Phrases That Come from the Dinner Table

Fill your plate with these surprising food words

Ask the Editors

video-title-words-of-the-year-1066
Words of the Year: 1066

Or, Why Pig Meat is Called 'Pork' and Cow Meat is Called 'Beef'

payday
How Often Is 'Biweekly'?

Don't get us started on 'bimonthly'

video-irregardless-grammar-peeve-blend-of-the-synonyms-irrespective-and-regardless
Irregardless

It is in fact a real word (but that doesn't mean you should use it).

video-moose-goose-weird-plurals
Weird Plurals

One goose, two geese. One moose, two... moose. What's up with that?

Word Games

emoji-the-quiz
The Emoji Quiz

Think you’re an emoji 👓 expert? Let’s see 🤔

Take the quiz
image941935269
A Game of Thrones Word Quiz

In the Game of Thrones quiz, you learn some new vocabulary. (It’s quite safe, really. You will not die.)

Take the quiz
Name That Thing
Name That Thing

Test your visual vocabulary with our 10-question challenge!

Take the quiz
Add Diction
Add Diction

Build a chain of words by adding one letter at a time.

Play the game