Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
×

An Encyclopædia Britannica Company

See What's Trending Now See More Trending Words

jack-of-all-trades

play
noun \ ˌjak-əv-ˌȯl-ˈtrādz \

Definition of jack-of-all-trades

plural jacks-of-all-trades
: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

Read the Latest from M-W

alt-59c17b8172892
'So Long': A Common But Mysterious Goodbye
stylized-drawing-of-woman-pole-vaulting-across-gap-to-get-trophy
Challenging Vocabulary Quiz Returns!
alt-59bab5dbb4997
Trending: 'Bodega' Startup Draws Criticism, Mockery
image2143067130
9 Slang Words With Academic Origins

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

noun \ ˌjak-əv-ˌȯl-ˈtrādz \

Definition of jack-of-all-trades for Students

plural jacks-of-all-trades \ˌjaks-əv-\
:a person who can do several kinds of work fairly well

Learn More about jack-of-all-trades

  1. Nglish: Translation of jack-of-all-trades for Spanish speakers

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

glabrous

play

smooth or hairless

Get Word of the Day daily email!

TRENDING NOW

  1. bodega "Don’t mess with the beloved bodega."

  2. carceral Of, relating to, or suggesting a jail or prison

  3. allegory No spoilers!

  4. hurricane 'A tropical cyclone'

  5. rescind To take away; cancel; repeal

SEE ALL

BROWSE DICTIONARY

jack-of-all-trades

Test Your Vocabulary

Challenging Vocabulary Quiz Returns!

  • stylized-drawing-of-woman-pole-vaulting-across-gap-to-get-trophy
  • Which is a synonym of fuliginous?
Name That Thing

Test your visual vocabulary with our 10-question challenge!

TAKE THE QUIZ
Word Winder's CrossWinder

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

alt-59c17b8172892
'So Long': A Common But Mysterious Goodbye

Its origins are surprisingly murky.

alt-59c13729150dc
"Immune to" or "Immune from"?

Nobody is immune to this question.

alt-59bff395cf879
What's Going On With 'Nonplussed'?

Its recent usage is hard to shrug off.

alt-59bad350d88f1
Welcome to the New Words

From 'hive mind' to 'sriracha'

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

stylized-drawing-of-woman-pole-vaulting-across-gap-to-get-trophy
Challenging Vocabulary Quiz Returns!

No tricks, just difficult words.

Take the quiz
name-that-color-logo
Name that Color!

NEW! Additional colors! More obscure than before!

Take the quiz
Name That Thing
Name That Thing

Test your visual vocabulary with our 10-question challenge!

Take the quiz
Word Winder's CrossWinder
Word Winder's CrossWinder

A game of winding words.

Play the game