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.
Some legislators worry recognizing the threatened scrub jay could empower environmentalists to protect more habitat.
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
"Even in permanently protected areas like Archbold, jay populations face ever-worsening odds of persistence," Barve said.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 25, 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
She screeches like a blue jay when she laughs.
From "Out of My Mind" by Sharon M. Draper
Add another future NFL quarterback, Jay Schroeder, and the City Section could compare itself to anyone in the nation.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026
One recent breakthrough, Bernstein analyst Jay Huang noted, is the ability for humanoids to simulate potential scenarios and plan for them through AI models.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 5, 2026
Jay and Rio were part of the children's parade and said it was "so much fun"
From BBC ● Aug. 30, 2026
"We are now firmly in the quantum advantage era," said Jay Gambetta, Director of IBM Research and IBM Fellow.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 30, 2026
Jay said, leaning so close Barry could smell egg sandwich on his breath.
From "I Survived Hurricane Katrina, 2005" by Lauren Tarshis
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.
