jersey

noun

jer·​sey ˈjər-zē 

plural jerseys

1

a

: any of various close-fitting usually circular-knitted garments especially for the upper body

b

: an often loose-fitting shirt that is worn by a member of a sports team as part of a team uniform and that typically has the athlete's name and number on the back

a football jersey

2

: a plain weft-knitted fabric made of wool, cotton, nylon, rayon, or silk and used especially for clothing

3

capitalized : any of a breed of small short-horned predominantly yellowish brown or fawn dairy cattle noted for their rich milk

Examples of jersey in a Sentence

The dress is made of cotton jersey.

Recent Examples on the Web

The first post on the rookie’s Instagram page is a video of him getting a Curry jersey signed at a Warriors game in Dallas. —Dan Woike, Los Angeles Times, 19 Oct. 2024

As players from Corydon Central High School’s varsity football team took the field to kick off to Silver Creek High School Friday night, a new player was wearing the team's No. 12 jersey. —Killian Baarlaer, The Courier-Journal, 19 Oct. 2024

The 49ers limited Mason’s workload in practice this week and put him in a no-contact jersey. —Cam Inman, The Mercury News, 18 Oct. 2024

The Commanders fan drops then to the ground as the other attempts to lunge at the man in the Ravens jersey, who then grabs the man in the Commanders jersey and pushes him into a brick wall before throwing him to the ground. —Rebecca Cohen, NBC News, 17 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Jersey, one of the Channel Islands

First Known Use

1587, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Kids Definition

jersey

noun

jer·​sey ˈjər-zē 

plural jerseys

1

: a plain knitted fabric

2

: a close-fitting knitted garment (as a shirt)

3

capitalized : any of a breed of small usually light tan dairy cattle having short horns and noted for their rich milk

Geographical Definition

Jersey

geographical name

Jer·​sey ˈjər-zē 

1

island in the English Channel; one of the Channel Islands; capital Saint Helier area 45 square miles (117 square kilometers)

Note: The Jersey breed of cattle, the knit fabric called jersey, and the types of upper-body garments called jerseys all derive their names from this island.

2

new jersey

—an informal name

Jerseyan

ˈjər-zē-ən 

noun

Jerseyite

ˈjər-zē-ˌīt 

noun