jewel
noun
a cut and polished precious stone; gem.
jewel
1 American
[joo-uhl]
/ ˈdʒu əl /
noun
-
jewels
plural
-
a cut and polished precious stone; gem.
-
a fashioned ornament for personal adornment, especially of a precious metal set with gems.
-
a precious possession.
-
a person or thing that is treasured, esteemed, or indispensable.
-
a durable bearing used in fine timepieces and other delicate instruments, made of natural or synthetic precious stone or other very hard material.
-
an ornamental boss of glass, sometimes cut with facets, in stained-glass work.
-
something resembling a jewel in appearance, ornamental effect, or the like, as a star.
verb (used with object)
jeweled,
jeweling,
jewelled,
jewelling
Jewel
2
American
[joo-uhl]
/ ˈdʒu əl /
noun
jewel
British
/ ˈdʒuːəl /
noun
-
a precious or semiprecious stone; gem
-
a person or thing resembling a jewel in preciousness, brilliance, etc
-
a gemstone, often synthetically produced, used as a bearing in a watch
-
a piece of jewellery
-
an ornamental glass boss, sometimes faceted, used in stained glasswork
-
the most valuable, esteemed, or successful person or thing of a number
who will be the jewel in the crown of English soccer?
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
jewel-likeadjective
-
jewelledadjective
-
jewellikeadjective
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unjeweledadjective
-
unjewelledadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of jewel
1250–1300; Middle English jouel juel < Anglo-French jeul, Old French jouel, joel < Vulgar Latin *jocāle plaything, noun use of neuter of *jocālis (adj.) of play, equivalent to Latin joc ( us ) joke + -ālis -al 1
Explanation
A jewel is a valuable gem or stone, one that might be set in a ring or necklace. Your grandmother might keep her jewels locked in a safe, to protect them from thieves. You can see large, gorgeous jewels in museums and jewelry stores. The diamond in a diamond ring is a jewel, and the rubies in a pair of sparkly red earrings are also jewels. You can also use the word to mean "person as special as a jewel." The Old French root is jouel, which may stem from jocus, "sport or pastime" in Latin, and "that which causes joy" in Vulgar Latin.
Vocabulary lists containing jewel
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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:
Moody jewel tones and rich finishes throughout the residence make it feel like a world of its own, but it’s conveniently located at the “meeting point” of Greenwich Village, the West Village, and SoHo.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 14, 2026
It taught me to always give music a chance, no matter how ugly the art or how crusty the jewel case.
From Salon ● Oct. 4, 2026
Later Monday, Leo rode in his popemobile through Metz and celebrated mass in St. Stephen's Cathedral, a jewel of Gothic architecture famous for its stained-glass windows.
From Barron's ● Sep. 28, 2026
Trade at the Port of Jebel Ali, the crown jewel of DP World’s global network, plummeted 90%, posing a challenge to Yuvraj Narayan, the new CEO of the Middle East’s largest port operator.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026
On her forehead was a small dark blue jewel.
From "American Gods" by Neil Gaiman
When it is not being used, it is kept in the Jewel House at the Tower of London.
From BBC ● Apr. 27, 2026
I did talk to people who are happy with Runna, including Jewel Christensen, a seasoned runner from Yakima, Wash.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 8, 2026
Labour county councillor Jewel Miah, who was also in the briefing, said Abbott's remarks were prejudiced and has called for him to resign.
From BBC ● Jan. 9, 2026
A family-friendly mix of artists included Elmo and Christopher Jackson, Shaggy and Busta Rhymes, Foreigner and Debbie Gibson, Jewel and Cynthia Erivo, the voices behind the hit animated series K-Pop Demon Hunters.
From Salon ● Nov. 27, 2025
“There is no need to worry. Jewel is an experienced teacher,” Kaisa said, stroking the black mare’s neck.
From "Ash" by Malinda Lo
While Wall Street is divided on when Musk will actually push to combine the crown jewels of his empire, Nelson thinks there’s a 90% chance it happens by the end of next year.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026
The Louvre heist revealed that thieves are increasingly stealing gold, bronze and jewels more than traditional paintings—a turnabout from a century ago when a thief stole its “Mona Lisa,” later recovered.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026
For this editorial, stylist RonBen worked with artist Braden Young to reconstruct some of the world’s infamous missing jewels and staged them on-model with just-stolen intensity.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026
But while suspects may be arrested, jewels or precious metals might not be found - such as with the Louvre case.
From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026
Instead of turbans they wore steel or silver caps, some of them set with jewels, and one with little wings on each side of it.
From "The Horse and His Boy" by C.S. Lewis
Sumac guinea foul with za’atar beetroot and jeweled cauliflower rice.
From Slate ● Aug. 15, 2026
A stunning jeweled dagger hilt and scabbard from Jahangir’s reign incorporate more than 2,000 diamonds, rubies and emeralds set in an intricate pattern in gold.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 11, 2026
Iranian-style jewelry studded with jade and other precious stones were popular during the Ottoman period, and Joyce may have applied his newfound skills to crafting rings, earrings, necklaces, and intricate jeweled turban aigrettes.
From National Geographic ● Jan. 11, 2024
Any sweet potato will work — Japanese yams, garnet sweet potatoes, jeweled sweet potatoes, purple sweet potatoes — whatever you have available.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 26, 2023
Cleopatra, dressed as Isis, wore the jeweled gown of the goddess.
From "Sterling Biographies®: Cleopatra: Egypt's Last and Greatest Queen" by Susan Blackaby
And at night, when the ticky-tacky disappears and the jeweling lights go on, the happy, hoppy daydream becomes a garden of visual delight.
From Time Magazine Archive
She will miss this glorious light warming the inside of her skin and jeweling the trees, the grass, the lily pond beyond the hedge.
From "How the García Girls Lost Their Accents" by Julia Alvarez
We would not advise jeweling the pivot holes, because there is but slight friction, except to the foot of the balance pivot, which should be jeweled with a plano-convex garnet.
For a half hour the torrents fell--then the sun burst forth, jeweling the forest with a million scintillant gems; but today the ape-man, usually alert to the changing wonders of the jungle, saw them not.
From Jungle Tales of Tarzan by Edgar Rice Burroughs
There is no jeweling in the escapement or on the other end of the balance staff.
From The Auburndale Watch Company First American Attempt Toward the Dollar Watch by Edwin A. Battison
"I wanted to see whether, when you strip away the usual Chanel signatures - the tweed, the jewelled buttons - you can still get to that essence," he told WWD.
From BBC ● Jan. 29, 2026
Colman Domingo's tuxedo was scattered with silver jewelled leaves.
From BBC ● Jan. 11, 2026
In a vast, dimly lit main hall spanning four levels, visitors gazed at chariots, household items, jewelled ornaments and, at the centre, Tutankhamun's iconic golden mask.
From Barron's ● Nov. 4, 2025
Both men remain in Macau prison, a far cry from the jewelled opulence of the VIP parlours they once presided over.
From Reuters ● Sep. 19, 2022
Her fingers, fair and slender, were laden with jewelled rings, any one of which would have fed us for a year.
From "Nectar in a Sieve" by Kamala Markandaya
The ice glistened on the naked trees, encasing and jewelling them.
From Senator North by Gertrude Franklin Horn Atherton
She paused a moment, looking up at the wooded hill-top, which the sun was jewelling in silver.
From Other Things Being Equal by Emma Wolf
From where he sat he could see the trembling lights of the village jewelling the rim of the bay like a circlet of stars.
From Flood Tide by Sara Ware Bassett
Her light had not yet reached the harbor, the further side of which was shadowy and suggestive, with dim coves and rich glooms and jewelling lights.
From Anne's House of Dreams by L. M. (Lucy Maud) Montgomery
Dew jewelling the grasses in the fields, the chatter of birds among the trees, a sparkling freshness in the air, and before me the road, running white into the gold of the rising sun.
From The Courtship of Morrice Buckler A Romance by A. E. W. (Alfred Edward Woodley) Mason
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