Kerouac

American

[ker-oo-ak] / ˈkɛr uˌæk /

noun

Jack Jean-Louis Lefris de Kérouac, 1922–69, U.S. novelist.

Kerouac British

/ ˈkɛrʊˌæk /

noun

Jack, real name Jean-Louis Lebris de Kérouac. 1922–69, US novelist and poet of the Beat Generation. His works include On the Road (1957) and Big Sur (1962)

"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

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.

The hilarious essay on Allen Ginsberg describes a fateful night in 1958 that Podhoretz spent arguing with the manic poet himself as Jack Kerouac sat silently by.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 26, 2025

It featured songs from Radiohead, The Beatles, Kate Bush and Abba, sandwiched between interludes of Jack Kerouac poems and radio comedy.

From BBC • Oct. 29, 2025

The show features wall text with a quote by Beat poet and writer Jack Kerouac.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 8, 2025

When J.H., a junior at an Orange County public high school, went to the school library to check out On the Road by Jack Kerouac, it was nowhere to be found.

From Slate • Aug. 21, 2025

“You’re Jack Kerouac? You’re my dad’s favorite author! We named our minivan Sal after one of your characters.”

From "Book Scavenger" by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman

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