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

Right now, shoppers can save on Levi’s jeans, Coach bags, Dream Pairs loafers, and so much more, and our favorite deals start at just $20. —Clara McMahon, PEOPLE, 20 Sep. 2025

In a dark wash The most elegant, most versatile, and easiest solution for how to style barrel jeans is simply buying a pair in a dark wash. —Lucía Tejo, Glamour, 20 Sep. 2025

The matching scarf can be worn with the dress or separately with a classic white tee and jeans. —Lane Nieset, Travel + Leisure, 20 Sep. 2025

Other wide-leg option is the Adria, a low-rise jean made with comfort stretch denim from Kaihara in Japan, and the Hattie Crop, a barrel fit made with denim from Candiani in Italy. —Angela Velasquez, Sourcing Journal, 19 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"