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Synonyms

vegan

American  
[vee-guhn, vey-] / ˈvi gən, ˈveɪ- /

noun

  1. a vegetarian who omits all animal products from the diet.

  2. a person who does not use any animal products, as leather or wool.


adjective

  1. of or relating to vegans or their practices.

    vegan shoes made of synthetic leather.

vegan British  
/ ˈviːɡən /

noun

  1. a person who refrains from using any animal product whatever for food, clothing, or any other purpose

"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

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of vegan

First recorded in 1940–45; contraction of veg(etari)an

Explanation

If you’re a vegan, you’re a strict vegetarian, and you don’t eat anything that comes from an animal, including meat, fish, eggs, and dairy. A vegan diet is heavy on fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and grains. Because only animal products contain cholesterol, vegans often have lower blood cholesterol than the bacon-cheeseburger crowd. As vegan diets have become more popular, many restaurants now offer a range of vegan choices, like veggie burgers and bean burritos. As you no doubt noticed, vegan is related to vegetarian and vegetable.

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Vocabulary lists containing vegan

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.

Festival-goers with plant-based diets will find more options than ever before, with vendors such as Maneatingplant, Cena Vegan, Maciel’s and Gokoku offering fully vegan menus.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 27, 2026

Vegan children also had shorter stature and lower BMI scores compared with omnivores.

From Science Daily • Dec. 21, 2025

In the Netherlands, Those Vegan Cowboys expects to bring its cheeses to the US later this year, and Europe in three to four years due to regulatory hurdles.

From BBC • Jul. 12, 2025

“You know who does really well in Nevada, more so than people ever really take a deeper look at?” said the City Cast Vegas podcaster Dayvid Figler, a lifetime Las Vegan.

From Slate • Oct. 31, 2024

“Hello, beautiful people. It’s your girl, Gervean Campbell, and welcome to another edition of Black, Vegan, and Proud.”

From "Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence" by Sonja Thomas

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