jean

noun

ˈjēn 

plural jeans

1

: a durable twilled cotton cloth used especially for sportswear and work clothes

2

usually jeans

ˈjēnz 

: pants usually made of denim or jean

… strolling with royal puppy Lupo through Kensington Gardens near the couple's two-bedroom cottage in a pair of jeans and rain boots.

—Alicia Dennis et al.

Millions of people today buy designer jeans for double the price of equally durable generic jeans …

—Jared Diamond

see also blue jeans, mom jeans

Examples of jean in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Modern Prairie sells housewares and patchwork jeans, offers quilting classes and cooking lessons. —Laura Trujillo, USA Today, 23 Apr. 2025

Jennifer Lopez’s denim collection is extensive: from barrel jeans to wide-leg jeans to skinny jeans, she’s tried them all. —Ana Serrano, Glamour, 22 Apr. 2025

The Gap is sporting vegan leather jeans and skirts between $20 and $60; Levi’s, slightly more. —Merle Ginsberg, HollywoodReporter, 22 Apr. 2025

This Hoka style pairs well with almost any outfit, from jeans and tees to dresses and skirts. —Jené Luciani Sena, FOXNews.com, 22 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

short for jean fustian, from Middle English Gene Genoa, Italy + fustian

First Known Use

1567, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing jean

• jean shorts

Rhymes for jean

• bean
• bein
• bien
• bouin
• chine
• clean
• deen
• diene
• gene
• glean
• keen
• lien

Kids Definition

jean

noun

ˈjēn 

1

: a heavy cotton cloth used especially for sportswear and work clothes

2

plural : pants made of jean, denim, or corduroy

Etymology

a shortened form of earlier jean fustian, literally "a fustian (heavy cotton cloth) from Genoa," from Middle English Gene "Genoa, Italy"