Jeff

American

[jef] / dʒɛf /

noun

a male given name, form of Jeffrey.

jeff British

/ dʒɛf /

verb

to downsize or close down (an organization)
to reduce (staff numbers) or dismiss (an employee)
to spoil or destroy ruthlessly

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of jeff

C20: named after Jeff Kennett, former premier of the state of Victoria, Australia

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.

While Elon Musk’s SpaceX has dominated the satellite connection and rocket launch industries for years, Jeff Bezos’ Amazon and Blue Origin are pushing ahead in both businesses.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026

Gaze over the rim of your glass to notice Jeff Koons and Ed Ruscha talking closely beside the DJ booth.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 17, 2026

Hollywood actor Jeff Goldblum said he is ready to embrace Wolverhampton when his band performs in the city next month.

From BBC • Apr. 14, 2026

“The sentence construction ‘it’s not X, it’s Y’ is one of the biggest tells in AI,” Jeff Gaunt, founder of Gaunt Strategies, told Shaina.

From Barron's • Apr. 14, 2026

I had decided that the best thing was never to bring up the subject, even though Jeff was the only other kid I had ever talked to about very much at all.

From "Firegirl" by Tony Abbott

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023