Jew

noun

ˈjü 

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

: israelite

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

Shapiro, a Democrat and a Jew, had celebrated Passover Seder the day before with family and friends. —Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Apr. 2025

By Pamela Jew When Felicia von Reden was 26, her doctor diagnosed her with endometriosis and said her reproductive age was 10 years older than her biological age. —Pamela Jew, Forbes.com, 15 Apr. 2025

But the demands from Washington go much further and while Harvard President Alan Garber, a Jew himself, agrees that more must be done to protect Jews and Israelis on campus, the university cannot cede academic independence to the government, particularly this government, led by Donald Trump. —New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 15 Apr. 2025

Everybody who wasn’t a young mother or an elderly Jew was up for grabs. —Mark Seliger, Vulture, 7 Apr. 2025

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

Phrases Containing Jew

• Jew's harp

Rhymes for Jew

• blew
• blue
• boo
• brew
• chew
• chou
• clue
• coo
• coup
• crew
• cue
• dew

Kids Definition

Jew

noun

ˈjü 

1

: one of the ancient Hebrews or a descendant of the ancient Hebrews

2

: one whose religion is Judaism

Jewish

ˈjü-ish

adjective