1
: a person belonging to a continuation through descent or conversion of the ancient Jewish people
2
: one whose religion is Judaism
3
a
: a member of the tribe of Judah
b
4
: a member of a nation existing in Palestine from the sixth century b.c. to the first century a.d.

Examples of Jew in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
In his eyes, a Jew who fails to share that outlook becomes the monster of traditional antisemitic lore: something perverted from its essential nature. Robert Helfand, Hartford Courant, 21 May 2025 The victim was a Jew who arrived at the camp from Paris two months earlier: Léon Axelroud. Henry Leutwyler Robert Petkoff Emma Kehlbeck Quinton Kamara, New York Times, 20 May 2025 Lina left her family library behind, except for three books about fellow voyagers: the Chinese poet Du Fu, Baruch Spinoza, the Portuguese Jewish philosopher exiled to the Netherlands, and Hannah Arendt, the German philosopher who, as as Jew, was forced to flee when the Nazis took power. Lorraine Berry, Los Angeles Times, 19 May 2025 Every Jew around the world pretty much had a connection to somebody who was affected by October 7th. Ryan Gajewski, HollywoodReporter, 23 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for Jew

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French ju, jeu, from Latin Judaeus, from Greek Ioudaios, from Hebrew Yĕhūdhī, from Yĕhūdhāh Judah, Jewish kingdom

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of Jew was in the 13th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Jew.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Jew. Accessed 29 May. 2025.

Kids Definition

Jew

noun
1
: one of the ancient Hebrews or a descendant of the ancient Hebrews
2
: one whose religion is Judaism
Jewish
ˈjü-ish
adjective

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