jerry

¹ American  

[jer-ee] / ˈdʒɛr i /

adjective

Building Trades Slang.

1. of inferior materials or workmanship.

---

jerry ² American  

[jer-ee] / ˈdʒɛr i /

noun

Chiefly British Slang.

plural

jerries

1. a chamber pot.

---

Jerry ³ American  

[jer-ee] / ˈdʒɛr i /

noun

1. a male given name, form of Gerald, Gerard, Jeremiah, and Jerome.

2. a female given name, form of Geraldine.

---

Jerry ⁴ American  

[jer-ee] / ˈdʒɛr i /

noun

Older Slang: Sometimes Offensive.

plural

Jerries

1. a German, especially a German soldier.

2. Germans collectively.

---

Jerry ¹ British  

/ ˈdʒɛrɪ /

noun

1. a German, esp a German soldier

2. the Germans collectively

   Jerry didn't send his bombers out last night

---

jerry ² British  

/ ˈdʒɛrɪ /

noun

1. an informal word for chamber pot

2. short for jeroboam

---

Sensitive Note

Jerry was a nickname used by Allied soldiers for a German soldier during World War I, but it was more commonly used in World War II.

Etymology

Origin of jerry¹

First recorded in 1875–80; short for jerry-built

Origin of jerry²

1820–30; short for Jeroboam (because if one drank such a large amount of liquid, one would have to void urine during the night)

Origin of Jerry⁴

First recorded in 1910–15; Ger(man) + -y ¹

Example Sentences

Left behind on the street outside the Louvre was the truck, a jerry can, a blowtorch, angle grinders, a walkie-talkie and yellow vests.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 31, 2025

"I used to sell up to five jerry cans of shea oil a week, right now I can only fill two jerry cans at most."

From BBC • May 1, 2025

A child lugs a jerry can half his size full of water.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 23, 2024

"We haven't reached this point yet," Bechu told franceinfo radio when asked if the government would impose any national measures beyond bans in some places on filling jerry cans.

From Reuters • Oct. 8, 2022

Behind her, one of the firemen placed the charred remnants of the jerry can into the truck—to send to the insurance company, she had no doubt.

From "Little Fires Everywhere" by Celeste Ng