genie
Americannoun
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genies
plural
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Islamic Mythology. jinn.
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a spirit, often appearing in human form, that when summoned by a person carries out the wishes of the summoner.
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any spirit; demon.
noun
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(in fairy tales and stories) a servant who appears by magic and fulfils a person's wishes
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another word for jinni
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
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.
Vocabulary lists containing genie
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:
"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
However, speaking to the BBC earlier this year, Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said the "genie was out of the bottle" and new laws could be introduced if parliamentary time became available.
From BBC ● Jul. 7, 2026
“We may not be able to put this genie back into the bottle,” he added.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 28, 2026
“Oh. I’m sorry,” the genie proclaimed after a short pause.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 23, 2025
As the blue gradually left, the greenish-yellow mist of the genie still trapped within the Mirror began to swirl uncontrollably.
From "Half Upon a Time" by James Riley
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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
Databricks is releasing AI agents, including Genie One, to help professionals get answers from their business data.
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
Eventually, after going back and forth, in his mind about who he’d want to live with, and messily jotting his thoughts in the notebook, the smooth, dark road hypnotized Genie, finally coaxing him to sleep.
From "As Brave As You" by Jason Reynolds
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In conventional, old-fashioned stories about wish-granting genies, the number of wishes is limited to three, the better to deliver a solid punchline or useful lesson.
From New York Times ● Nov. 21, 2023
For centuries there have been stories that it harboured jinns, or genies.
From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2021
All other genies wish they looked as magical as Houston Texans star Hopkins did this Halloween, fully committing to this mystical ensemble with blue body paint and lavish jewelry.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 1, 2019
The ship has genies, and they can perform magic: Although bargain-basement discounts draw plenty of travelers to big-ship cruising, procuring Royal Caribbean’s VIP status can offer a true luxury experience.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 5, 2018
He was also very wrong about there not being anything like magic powers or genies or angels.
From "The Watsons Go to Birmingham" by Christopher Paul Curtis
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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.