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

There, twice a month, the Michigan Rocky Horror Preservation Society holds court, its members arrayed in corsets, feather boas, ripped jeans and lovingly detailed costumes that evoke their favorite movie's main characters. —Neda Ulaby, NPR, 27 Sep. 2025

Gap Pleated Wide-Leg Jeans These jeans are ripe with ’80s style inspo, thanks to the stonewashed denim, baggy fit, and single front pleats. —Jamie Allison Sanders, PEOPLE, 27 Sep. 2025

Build up your denim collection with comfortable jeans from Quince, and keep reading for more of our picks from $40. —Jacqueline Tempera, Better Homes & Gardens, 26 Sep. 2025

On the plus side, this means wearing cropped jeans can be a great way to show off your favorite sneakers or enjoy a pair of flats without having the hem drag or hide the shoes. —Renata Joffre, Glamour, 26 Sep. 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"