jackass

American  

[jak-as] / ˈdʒækˌæs /

noun

1. a male donkey.

2. a contemptibly foolish or stupid person; dolt; blockhead; ass.

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jackass British  

/ ˈdʒækˌæs /

noun

1. a male donkey

2. a stupid person; fool

3. another name for kookaburra

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Other Word Forms

• jackassery noun

Etymology

Origin of jackass

First recorded in 1720–30; jack ¹ + ass ¹

Example Sentences

As the politician Sam Rayburn famously said: “Any jackass can kick down a barn, but it takes a good carpenter to build one.”

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 16, 2024

"Any jackass can kick over a lantern and burn down a bar. It takes a carpenter to build one - we want to be on the side of the carpenter," Roemer told Reuters.

From Reuters • Nov. 9, 2022

Mr. Fieri proceeded to make something he calls the jackass roll — rice, pork butt, fries and avocado — so named, he said, because a friend told him he looked like a jackass preparing it.

From New York Times • May 23, 2022

“We are the carpenters of American politics because, you know, any jackass can kick over a barn. It takes a carpenter to build one.”

From Washington Times • Dec. 30, 2021

I needed them to leave so I wouldn't have to keep smiling and nodding like a jackass, which I knew I was going to have to do—but for how long?

From "Tradition" by Brendan Kiely