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

The lace trimming adds a whimsical, almost Parisian touch that pairs effortlessly with everything from jeans to even midi skirts on travel days. —Chaise Sanders, Travel + Leisure, 21 Apr. 2026

While at a brunch with Barbour in New York City, the media mogul ditched casual jeans for an elegant denim skirt. —Nicol Natale, PEOPLE, 20 Apr. 2026

Kacey Musgraves kept her look simple in a white tank, dusty boots and jeans with studding along the outside seam. —Angela Velasquez, Footwear News, 20 Apr. 2026

The Western shoe layers well with everything from jeans to mini skirts. —Abby Morgan Lebet, Glamour, 20 Apr. 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"