jane
noun
a girl or woman.
jane
1 American
[jayn]
/ dʒeɪn /
noun
Slang.
Jane
2
American
[jayn]
/ dʒeɪn /
noun
jane
British
/ dʒeɪn /
noun
Etymology
Origin of jane
An Americanism dating back to 1905–10; generic use of the proper name
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
She had picked out her favorite mask — a blue one with white polka-dots — and a pair of mary jane shoes with cats on them for her first day.
From Washington Post ● Sep. 29, 2020
In one episode the duo unwittingly land $2000 for getting Ray’s heart broken by a jane who won his honest affections and then dumped him.
From Forbes ● Nov. 18, 2011
Someone to help you interpret, ask follow-up questions and simply lend the support of their presence is invaluable. — jane gross Trust me, you need another person present.
From New York Times ● Dec. 2, 2010
“In high school I read jane Eyre, Vanity Fair, Great Expectations, et cetera,” Immie went on.
From "Genuine Fraud" by E. Lockhart
The old jane who owns this joint—well, her daughter married him.
From Hookers by Rae Bourbon
We are seeing this dynamic in the backlash against Jane Doe at Cornell.
From Slate ● Oct. 26, 2026
As Jane Leavy explains in her outstanding biography, Sandy Koufax was then still an erratic pitcher, but the Dodgers were prohibited by league rules from sending him down to the minors.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2026
"Everyone knows Helen," says Jane Hill, who owns a party supply shop a few hundred metres down the town's main street from where Haines was hit.
From BBC ● Oct. 21, 2026
The Columbia Open Discourse Alliance: ‘We stand firmly with survivors and with Jane Doe.’
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 20, 2026
“Dear, dear! Give it me back, Mum,” said Flopson; “and Miss Jane, come and dance to baby, do!”
From "Great Expectations" by Charles Dickens
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
