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

Dressed in a white denim jacket and jeans, Armisen didn’t do a traditional stand-up set but took the audience of more than 800 people on an absurdist, entertaining ride. —Sal Pizarro, The Mercury News, 6 Nov. 2024

He’s dressed simply in an olive-green motorcycle jacket, pencil-thin jeans, and a dove-gray turtleneck, sitting with the same authority as his regal subjects. —Essence, 5 Nov. 2024

Prana's Halle Straight Pants II have a flattering silhouette that resembles the fit of your favorite jeans — only with UPF 50+ for sun protection, water repellency, and abrasion resistance. —Michelle Tchea, Travel + Leisure, 5 Nov. 2024

That means an $80 pair of men’s jeans would instead cost between $90 and $96. —Annie Nova,rebecca Picciotto, CNBC, 5 Nov. 2024

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

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"