Jeff
noun
a male given name, form of Jeffrey.
Jeff
American
[jef]
/ dʒɛf /
noun
jeff
British
/ dʒɛf /
verb
-
to downsize or close down (an organization)
-
to reduce (staff numbers) or dismiss (an employee)
-
to spoil or destroy ruthlessly
Etymology
Origin of jeff
C20: named after Jeff Kennett, former premier of the state of Victoria, Australia
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.
As former Goldman Sachs commodity strategist Jeff Currie pointed out a month ago, “Nobody on planet earth consumes crude oil. Refineries do. Everyone else consumes gasoline and diesel.”
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 11, 2026
Last month, Google’s chief scientist Jeff Dean left with three other senior researchers to found an AI startup.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026
I thought Ford would take it last year, but voters instead gave us the delightful surprise of a Jeff Hiller win for “Somebody Somewhere.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026
"If Shelton were to come through, he is the kind of player that can knock the racquet out of your hand," said American former player Jeff Tarango on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra.
From BBC ● Sep. 7, 2026
Laurence reached to grab him, but Jeff was too fast.
From "A Boy Called Bat" by Elana K. Arnold
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.
