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

The actor arrived in a regal sky blue high-neck top with a long cascading train and clashing red lining — custom designed by Prabal Gurung — offset with a casual pair of low slung, non-maternity jeans by La Ligne that skimmed just under her bump. — Leah Dolan, CNN Money, 12 Aug. 2026

Jennifer Lawrence served transitional wardrobe inspiration all the way back in April, pairing a yellow Beatles T-shirt by Junk Food with straight-leg jeans, a tomato-red cardigan, and slim Adidas sneakers with matching red stripes. — Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 12 Aug. 2026

At Dolce Vita, the in-demand Romie boots are back in stock in a gorgeous chocolate suede that's slightly slouched to pair with your favorite jeans. — ABC News, 12 Aug. 2026

Meanwhile, Ratajkowski looked effortlessly cool wearing the bag as a crossbody, paired with flare jeans, white sneakers, and a leather jacket. — Jacqueline Tempera, PEOPLE, 11 Aug. 2026

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
• clean
• deen
• diene
• gene
• glean
• keen
• lien
• mean

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"