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

At dinner, everyone is in a gown except for Carole, who is wearing a vintage T-shirt and a pair of jeans. — Brian Moylan, Vulture, 21 Oct. 2026

The driver pulls their van off the road so it’s parked halfway on an empty lot, runs over in black jeans and a band tee with the sleeves cut off, and climbs into the truck bed as Hollywell jokingly pulls away. — Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 21 Oct. 2026

Other highlights included Trucker jackets with balloon-like shapes, jeans with off-kilter closures, ankle ties and convertible pant/short constructions. — Angela Velasquez, Footwear News, 21 Oct. 2026

Opt for pointy heels instead of sneakers, wide-leg pants instead of skinny jeans, and a trendy funnel-neck jacket just to dial up the chicness. — Bianca Kratky, Glamour, 21 Oct. 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"