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

Keep scrolling to shop more spring fashion finds, including blouses, jeans, and sweaters inspired by Meghan Markle below. —Averi Baudler, People.com, 5 Mar. 2025

There are also selvedge denim jeans, tassel loafers, a field jacket, and a lightweight pique blazer. —Samantha Conti, WWD, 5 Mar. 2025

They can be dressed up with a blazer, paired with a cute pair of jeans and a top or dressed down in workout gear. —Lauryn Jiles, Miami Herald, 3 Mar. 2025

There are jeans, blouses and textured prints featured in this collection with various cuts, colours and textures. —Nadja Sayej, Forbes, 3 Mar. 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"