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• Jew
  Jew

  noun

  one of a scattered group of people that traces its descent from the Biblical Hebrews or from postexilic adherents of Judaism; Israelite.
• Jew.
  Jew.

  abbreviation

  Jewish.

Jew

¹ American  

[joo] / dʒu /

noun

1. one of a scattered group of people that traces its descent from the Biblical Hebrews or from postexilic adherents of Judaism; Israelite.

2. a person whose religion is Judaism.

3. a subject of the ancient kingdom of Judah.

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adjective

1. Offensive. of Jews; Jewish.

verb (used with object)

1. Extremely Disparaging and Offensive. jew, to bargain sharply with; beat down in price (often followed bydown ).

Jew. ² American  

abbreviation

1. Jewish.

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Jew British  

/ dʒuː /

noun

1. a member of the Semitic people who claim descent from the ancient Hebrew people of Israel, are spread throughout the world, and are linked by cultural or religious ties

2. a person whose religion is Judaism

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Sensitive Note

While both the adjective and the verb were once used in a neutral way by Jews and non-Jews, they are now considered problematic and offensive. The adjectival use of Jew, as in the phrase Jew boy, is perceived as insulting; the adjective Jewish should be used instead. The verb jew (down) is also perceived as offensive and antisemitic, because it perpetuates the stereotype of the shrewd Jewish moneylender or haggler.

Other Word Forms

• non-Jew
  noun

Etymology

Origin of Jew

First recorded in 1125–75; Middle English jewe, giu, gyu, ju, from Old French juiu, juieu, gyu, from Late Latin judēus, Latin jūdaeus, from Greek ioudaîos, from Aramaic yehūdāi, from Hebrew Yəhūdhī, derivative of Yəhūdhāh Judah; replacing Old English iūdēas “Jews,” from Late Latin jūdē(us) + Old English -as, a plural ending

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Jew Jew.

Yet, when attacked as a Jew, she insisted on answering as one.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026

This led Schudt to conclude that the story of the Wandering Jew was no more than a fairy tale.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 28, 2026

By contrast, the mythical figure of the Wandering Jew was condemned to roam the earth without rest until the second coming of Christ.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 28, 2026

A Jew writing in German, “Kafka sees that the schlemiel loses. He sees it through to the tragic end,” as European Jewry soon would.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 22, 2026

Leaving Helena alone to hide a Jew in our apartment is probably the worst thing I’ve ever done.

From "The Light in Hidden Places" by Sharon Cameron

“I am proud to be Jewish. I’m proud to live openly as a Jew. I am not afraid. I refuse to be afraid.”

From Washington Post ● Dec. 7, 2022

“Comrade. Jew. We Only Wanted Paradise on Earth,” at the Jewish Museum in Vienna, offered a hundred-year survey of the art and literature of Jewish Communists, from Moscow to the gulag and into exile.

From New York Times ● Dec. 5, 2018

“But that’s not all I am, any more than a Christian is just a Christian or a Jew or a Jew. I’m not mocking anything.”

From The Guardian ● Dec. 13, 2017

“Marlon, in case you’ve forgotten,” Elizabeth said, “I am also a Jew. Am I on a plane, Marlon? Am I on a plane?”

From The New Yorker ● Jun. 1, 2015

‘Oh, it’s all very simple this year. You’re a Chicano. And I am a Jew. That’s really the only difference between us.’

From "Hunger of Memory" by Richard Rodriguez