jean
noun
Sometimes jeans a sturdy twilled fabric, usually of cotton.
jean
1 American
[jeen, jayn]
/ dʒin, dʒeɪn /
noun
-
Sometimes jeans a sturdy twilled fabric, usually of cotton.
-
(used with a plural verb) jeans,
-
pants of various fabrics, styled or constructed like blue jeans.
Jean
2
American
[zhahn , jeen]
/ ʒɑ̃, dʒin /
noun
-
1921–2019, Grand Duke of Luxembourg 1964–2000.
-
a male given name, form of John.
-
a female given name.
Jean
1
British
/ ʒɑ̃ /
noun
-
born 1921, full name Jean Benoît Guillaume Robert Antoine Louis Marie Adolphe Marc d'Aviano , grand duke of Luxembourg (1964–2000)
-
Michaelle. born 1957, in Haiti. Canadian stateswoman and broadcaster; governor-general from 2005
jean
2
British
/ dʒiːn /
noun
Usage
What does jean mean? The word jean refers to the kind of material used to make jeans, as in blue jeans—a type of pants. Jeans are traditionally made from denim, a kind of cotton fabric. Today, jeans are made from a variety of fabrics and fabric blends, but they’re still called jeans if they resemble denim blue jeans. In this way, the word jean isn’t commonly used as a name of a kind of material until after it’s been made into jeans. Jean is most commonly used as a modifier to describe garments that are made of denim or the kind of fabric that blue jeans are made of, as in jean shorts, jean jacket (also commonly called a denim jacket), and jean shirt. Example: I used to wear a jean jacket with a bunch of patches on it.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of jean
1485–95; short for jean fustian, earlier Gene(s) fustian Genoese or Genoa fustian
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:
Kontoor said the deal will allow it to focus investment and execution on its higher-growth brands, particularly its Wrangler jean brand and its Helly Hansen outdoor clothing business.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 21, 2026
In May of that year, Epstein emailed Todt to say "jean, sorry it was so short and Terje did not give me any notice in advance to help with the fun".
From BBC ● Feb. 4, 2026
People dance in crab hats and buy custom-embroidered crab jean jackets.
From Slate ● Aug. 19, 2025
Maldonado got some cosmetics and her daughter a jean skirt from Hollister.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 29, 2024
She was also very stylish, dressed in a cute green tank top and jean shorts.
From "Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus" by Dusti Bowling
The transformation from on-court assassin to reserved father of two is like Clark Kent and Superman, St. Jean said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 23, 2026
She served as lead attorney in the E. Jean Carroll case, during which the judge admonished her repeatedly for her poor legal skills.
From Salon ● Oct. 22, 2026
“We cannot allow this outbreak to spread to other countries or to continue for another year,” Jean Kaseya, director-general of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, said in a statement Tuesday.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2026
"The parents would write to him and tell him about the children," Jean said.
From BBC ● Oct. 19, 2026
The men already knew each other from Farmer’s work in the central plateau, and their friendship only strengthened after they met again at St. Jean Bosco.
From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French
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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.
