1
: a person belonging to a continuation through descent or conversion of the ancient Jewish people
2
: one whose religion is Judaism
3
a
: a member of the tribe of Judah
b
4
: a member of a nation existing in Palestine from the sixth century b.c. to the first century a.d.

Examples of Jew in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
But his mother had undergone a Reform conversion, so Orthodox and Conservative communities didn’t recognize him as a Jew. Jeannie Suk Gersen, The New Yorker, 2 Dec. 2024 Shapiro, an Orthodox Jew, has staunchly supported Israel during the war, while Owens has regularly criticized Israel over the growing number of Palestinian deaths. Molly Bohannon, Forbes, 28 Nov. 2024 Kogan carried this mission to Abu Dhabi with extraordinary courage, moving to an Arab country as a proud Israeli Orthodox Jew to foster dialogue and friendship between Jews and Muslims. Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 27 Nov. 2024 There’s another book by a Viennese Jew, born two months before Zweig: Human Action (Mises). Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 25 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for Jew 

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French ju, jeu, from Latin Judaeus, from Greek Ioudaios, from Hebrew Yĕhūdhī, from Yĕhūdhāh Judah, Jewish kingdom

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of Jew was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near Jew

Cite this Entry

“Jew.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Jew. Accessed 11 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

Jew

noun
1
: one of the ancient Hebrews or a descendant of the ancient Hebrews
2
: one whose religion is Judaism
Jewish
ˈjü-ish
adjective

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