bejewel
Americanverb (used with object)
verb
Etymology
Origin of bejewel
Explanation
To bejewel something is to decorate it with sparkly gems. You could make your plain tote bag more exciting if you bejewel it with shiny sequins and beads. You might bejewel a young friend's crown so she'll look more like a queen in her Halloween costume, or you could use a hot glue gun and bejewel some barrettes for your sister, who loves to dress in sparkly gowns. The word bejewel dates from the 1500s, with the jewel part rooted in the Old French word jouel, "ornament," possibly from the Latin jocus, "pastime," or in Vulgar Latin, "that which causes joy."
Vocabulary lists containing bejewel
The Lemonade War
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Francine Poulet Meets the Ghost Raccoon
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
The Magician's Elephant
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
Through six editions now, their clear, planed prose has proved an essential reference for Angelenos in search of all the treasures that bejewel L.A.’s rumpled topography.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 11, 2023
Yet so strong are her sublimation abilities that the beads of sweat appear to bejewel her.
From New York Times ● Nov. 15, 2018
This past season, the franchise with enough World Series rings to bejewel a small army failed to make the playoffs for the second straight year.
From New York Times ● Nov. 5, 2014
But Daniel Wende of Germany, you cannot bejewel a gladiator outfit.
From Time ● Feb. 16, 2010
I am going to bejewel my house with books and then I am going to live.
From The Jucklins A Novel by Read, Opie Percival
The bejeweled event on the French Riviera has become a crucial stop for filmmakers and movie stars to elevate a film’s credibility and bolster its appeal ahead of awards season.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 23, 2026
It included biker jackets adorned with bejeweled crosses and, in the finale, a halter top that featured the Virgin Mary made out of a mosaic of jewels.
From Salon ● May 17, 2026
In a bejeweled white pantsuit and towering stiletto pumps, Megyn Kelly tried to work the crowd like a rock star.
From Slate ● May 6, 2026
She stunned fashionistas in a diamond skeleton gown, with skin-toned mesh underneath, the bejeweled bones showing to the tips of her fingers.
From Barron's ● May 5, 2026
The second one wore the prettiest hijab cupping her rosy, brown cheeks, and she cradled a bejeweled lantern.
From "The Marvellers" by Dhonielle Clayton
![]()
That’s a lot of friendship bracelets and bejeweling.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 9, 2024
“I have friends on the bejeweling committee. The boy is smart, but too quick to anger. It’s a fatal flaw that cannot be tolerated.”
From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman
![]()
“The bejeweling committee has studied your apprenticeships,” Scythe Mandela announced to them, although it was meant more for the entire conclave.
From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman
![]()
“Candidates for scythehood, will you accept the judgment of the MidMerican bejeweling committee?” he asked—as if it were possible not to accept their decision.
From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman
![]()
It is with bittersweet joy that I watch the bejeweling of new junior scythes at the end of each conclave.
From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman
![]()
But after Nawat called for security to intervene, the besashed Bosch staged a walkout flanked by Miss Iraq, who wore a bejewelled floor-length robe.
From Barron's ● Nov. 6, 2025
His opulent ivory and gold ensemble - created by designer Prabal Gurung - complete with a feathered bejewelled turban, trended in India for weeks.
From BBC ● May 31, 2025
But on Tuesday during the show’s prime-time season premiere, there will be a twist, when convicted fraudster Anna Delvey - real name Anna Sorokin - takes to the floor wearing a bejewelled ankle monitor.
From BBC ● Sep. 16, 2024
Saturday's parade - the climax of the five-day festival that closes Sunday - saw participants donned in jet black wigs and bejewelled jumpsuits shake their way down the main street.
From Reuters ● Jan. 7, 2023
Certainly fine feathers make fine birds, and I think no one would recognize the gold embroidered, bejewelled couple that went in the coupé d'Orsay to the gala dinner at the Palace.
From Letters of a Diplomat's Wife 1883-1900 by Waddington, Mary King
He described watching a raincloud float in and burst like a confetti cannon above the hangars to the east while the sun sparked like an elevated train over the western parking lot, bejewelling car windshields.
From The New Yorker ● Feb. 12, 2017
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.