jersey

noun

jer·​sey ˈjər-zē 

plural jerseys

1

a

: any of various close-fitting usually circular-knitted garments especially for the upper body

b

: an often loose-fitting shirt that is worn by a member of a sports team as part of a team uniform and that typically has the athlete's name and number on the back

a football jersey

2

: a plain weft-knitted fabric made of wool, cotton, nylon, rayon, or silk and used especially for clothing

3

capitalized : any of a breed of small short-horned predominantly yellowish brown or fawn dairy cattle noted for their rich milk

Examples of jersey in a Sentence

The dress is made of cotton jersey.

Recent Examples on the Web

Messi is a Barcelona legend, and Yamal is the future of the club, who has just inherited the legendary number 10 jersey that Messi used to wear. —Joseph O'Sullivan, Forbes.com, 30 July 2025

The 2025 Tour de France concluded on Sunday with Tadej Pogacar sealing his fourth overall win, picking up another four stage victories and the polka-dot jersey in the process. —Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 29 July 2025

Runners planned to wear either a Chicago Cubs or a Chicago White Sox jersey, depending on which team brought in the most money before the race. —Melinda Moore, Chicago Tribune, 29 July 2025

There was an inordinate number of Royals No. 54 jerseys in the stands Monday night at Wrigley Field. —Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 28 July 2025

Word History

Etymology

Jersey, one of the Channel Islands

First Known Use

1587, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Kids Definition

jersey

noun

jer·​sey ˈjər-zē 

plural jerseys

1

: a plain knitted fabric

2

: a close-fitting knitted garment (as a shirt)

3

capitalized : any of a breed of small usually light tan dairy cattle having short horns and noted for their rich milk

Geographical Definition

Jersey

geographical name

Jer·​sey ˈjər-zē 

1

island in the English Channel; one of the Channel Islands; capital Saint Helier area 45 square miles (117 square kilometers)

Note: The Jersey breed of cattle, the knit fabric called jersey, and the types of upper-body garments called jerseys all derive their names from this island.

2

new jersey

—an informal name

Jerseyan

ˈjər-zē-ən 

noun

Jerseyite

ˈjər-zē-ˌīt 

noun