any of several noisy, vivacious birds of the crow family, subfamily Garrulinae, as the crested Garrulus glandarius, of the Old World, having brownish plumage with blue, black, and white barring on the wings.
Informal. a simpleminded or gullible person.
John, 1745–1829, U.S. statesman and jurist: first chief justice of the U.S. 1789–95.
a male given name.
any of various passerine birds of the family Corvidae (crows), esp the Eurasian Garrulus glandarius, with a pinkish-brown body, blue-and-black wings, and a black-and-white crest See also blue jay
a foolish or gullible person
1275–35; Middle English jai < Middle French < Late Latin gāius, gāia, perhaps after Latin Gāius man's name
First recorded in 1965–70; probably spelling of initial consonant of joint, perhaps suggested by pig Latin version ointjay
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Rep. Monique Miller, a Republican representing the Space Coast district, took issue with the scrub jay, not the flamingo.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 23, 2026
"There's a jay ... That's a bluethroat ... Do you see the hen harrier? We're lucky," the 37-year-old photographer told AFP.
From Barron's ● May 20, 2026
The UC study found that male spiders become motionless and "freeze" when a blue jay calls nearby.
From Science Daily ● Jan. 17, 2024
In downtown Perry, Iowa, on Friday, residents wore blue to support each other, reflecting the school district’s mascot, the blue jay.
From New York Times ● Jan. 5, 2024
A blue jay landed in the yard near us and Wishbone’s ears perked up.
From "Wish" by Barbara O'Connor
Current market conditions put Anthropic in a “very tough spot,” Jay Goldberg, an analyst at Seaport Research Partners, told MarketWatch.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 7, 2026
Former US senator Jay Rockefeller, an heir to one of America's wealthiest dynasties who devoted decades to fighting poverty and expanding healthcare, has died aged 89, US media reported Friday.
From Barron's ● Nov. 6, 2026
The review was also overseen by Prof Jay, who is a child sexual abuse expert.
From BBC ● Nov. 3, 2026
From Boris Pickett’s “Monster Mash” to Screamin’ Jay Hawkins’ “I Put A Spell on You” to, of course, “Thriller,” there are plenty of tunes to tap one’s toes with while trick-or-treating.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 30, 2026
“He’s always telling you how to catch the little animals. Surely, Jay Berry, you don’t get any fun out of it, do you?”
From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
