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• genie
  genie

  noun

  jinn.
• Genie
  Genie

  noun

  an award given by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television in recognition of Canadian cinematic achievements

genie

American  

[jee-nee] / ˈdʒi ni /

noun

• genies
  plural

1. Islamic Mythology. jinn.

2. a spirit, often appearing in human form, that when summoned by a person carries out the wishes of the summoner.

3. any spirit; demon.

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genie ¹ British  

/ ˈdʒiːnɪ /

noun

1. (in fairy tales and stories) a servant who appears by magic and fulfils a person's wishes

2. another word for jinni

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Genie ² British  

/ ˈdʒiːnɪ /

noun

1. an award given by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television in recognition of Canadian cinematic achievements

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• genies
  plural

Etymology

Origin of genie

1645–55; < French génie < Latin genius; see genius

Explanation

A genie is a mythological spirit. In stories, most genies are described as magical beings that live inside lamps or bottles and grant people's wishes. The word genie comes from the French génie, a word that was coined for the French translation of the book Arabian Nights and comes from the Arabic jinni. Genies were a staple of ancient Arabian myths, and later of Islamic folktales. If you've ever seen the movie Aladdin, you know the popular version of a genie, who appears to grant wishes after being summoned from an oil lamp.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

genie Genie genies

These risks can be managed, but the time to prepare is now—before the genie leaves the bottle.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026

"I don't know how they're going to put the genie back in the bottle," Lee told AFP.

From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026

He also revealed he had been dubbed "Sheenie the genie" by his youngest daughter Mabli after his role in Swansea Grand Theatre's Christmas pantomime, Aladdin.

From BBC ● Mar. 5, 2026

“So just like that, the proverbial genie is out of the bottle and it’s on videotape that I’m going to UCLA,” Easley would recall many years later.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 15, 2025

Her letter was followed by a sad tale about the genie in Aladdin’s lamp.

From "Ella Enchanted" by Gail Carson Levine

Previous demos of world models, like the Genie models unveiled by Google DeepMind, focused on generating new worlds to train robots.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026

According to Crowley’s attorneys Genie Harrison and Mia Munro, the mayor knowingly made false statements in her personal capacity and as an election candidate, which they say are not protected by government immunity.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 23, 2026

Also on Tuesday, Databricks is announcing Genie Agents and Genie App Builder, products targeted at business users who want to vibe-code their own AI agents and applications.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 16, 2026

The 45-year-old Genie in a Bottle singer last played in the UK in 2022 and visited London, Manchester and Liverpool.

From BBC ● Jun. 4, 2026

Meanwhile, Genie had run inside, his palm to his eye, and stepped right into Ma and Dad’s crossfire over how she was feeling neglected.

From "As Brave As You" by Jason Reynolds

The entire industry is an illusion: actors, dialogue, costumes, sets, editing, even the magic of performers appearing on small screens with a snap, like genies summoned to amuse.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 21, 2024

For centuries there have been stories that it harboured jinns, or genies.

From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2021

According to Salman Rushdie’s new novel, most of what we know about genies is wrong, which makes me worry that I may have spent too much time watching Barbara Eden.

From Washington Post ● Sep. 1, 2015

The computer has atomized, as Mr. Rose likes to say, and its functions can be distributed about our households like an army of miniature genies.

From New York Times ● Jul. 16, 2014

The genies were the spirits of good and evil.

From "The Alchemist" by Paulo Coelho