jeez
Americaninterjection
Usage
What does jeez mean? Jeez is an informal way to express surprise, disappointment, frustration, annoyance, or exasperation. Jeez can also be spelled geez. It’s an interjection, meaning it’s typically said by itself (instead of as part of a sentence) to express some kind of emotion. It’s usually used before or after another statement, as in I wasn’t implying that at all. Jeez. The term jeez can be used in both negative and positive contexts, but it’s more often used negatively to express frustration with what someone has said or done. Jeez comes from a shortening of Jesus, which makes it a euphemism—a milder way of saying something that may be considered offensive, blasphemous, or harsh. Many other words like this (often called mild oaths or minced oaths) are formed in a similar way. The word gosh, for example, is an alteration of the word God. Jeez is commonly used in the phrase jeez louise, which means the same thing as jeez but is usually used in more humorous situations. (The name Louise is probably just added as a rhyme). Example: Jeez, Tim, you don’t have to be such a jerk.
Etymology
Origin of jeez
1920–25, euphemistic shortening of Jesus
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.
"Little bit shell-shocked there. Travis Head was phenomenal, jeez that was some knock."
From Barron's • Nov. 22, 2025
Costello on Monday lambasted the credibility of former Trump fixer Michael Cohen — and also received a reprimand from Merchan, who told him to stop rolling his eyes, saying "jeez" and side-eyeing the judge.
From Salon • May 21, 2024
"I don't think June is going to be a major surprise, but jeez, they have surprised before."
From Reuters • Jun. 14, 2023
Harpin: I grew up watching all this wild ‘80s stuff for kids. Even “The Last Unicorn” is, like, jeez.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 10, 2023
“Oooooh, really? Well, jeez, then it’s brilliant,” I answered.
From "Looking for Alaska" by John Green
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.
