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 a T-shirt, straight-leg jeans, and a trench—or go with a cashmere cardigan and a slip dress. —Jake Henry Smith, Glamour, 10 Feb. 2026

Bring one pair of perfect, dependable jeans. —Lydia Mansel, Travel + Leisure, 10 Feb. 2026

Levi’s iconic Red Tab and arcuate stitching—the small but fiercely protected hallmarks of the brand’s jeans—are at the center of a new campaign. —Angela Velasquez, Sourcing Journal, 10 Feb. 2026

The loose, wide-leg jeans balance out the preppy top while the jacket adds a nice pop of color. —Kaitlin Clapinski, InStyle, 9 Feb. 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
• 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"