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

Try the style out with similar pairs of dark wash jeans from Levi’s and Gap, starting at just $29 on Amazon. —Emily Weaver, PEOPLE, 18 Oct. 2025

Wear it with trousers and loafers for the office, a mini skirt and kitten heels for a night out, or jeans for a more relaxed weekend look. —Rosie Marder, Travel + Leisure, 18 Oct. 2025

Her appearance, in a white shirt and jeans, which some are calling the new revenge look, comes after TMZ reported there might already be another woman in Urban’s life. —Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 7 Oct. 2025

For Prime Day 2025, stock up on all classic favorites, like these must-have, baggy jeans from Levi’s. —Cortne Bonilla, Vogue, 7 Oct. 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"