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• jerry
  jerry

  adjective

  of inferior materials or workmanship.
• Jerry
  Jerry

  noun

  a male given name, form of Gerald, Gerard, Jeremiah, and Jerome.

jerry

¹ American  

[jer-ee] / ˈdʒɛr i /

adjective

Building Trades Slang.

1. of inferior materials or workmanship.

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jerry ² American  

[jer-ee] / ˈdʒɛr i /

noun

Chiefly British Slang.

jerries plural

1. a chamber pot.

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Jerry ³ American  

[jer-ee] / ˈdʒɛr i /

noun

1. a male given name, form of Gerald, Gerard, Jeremiah, and Jerome.

2. a female given name, form of Geraldine.

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Jerry ⁴ American  

[jer-ee] / ˈdʒɛr i /

noun

Older Slang: Sometimes Offensive.

Jerries plural

1. a German, especially a German soldier.

2. Germans collectively.

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Jerry ¹ British  

/ ˈdʒɛrɪ /

noun

1. a German, esp a German soldier

2. the Germans collectively

   Jerry didn't send his bombers out last night

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jerry ² British  

/ ˈdʒɛrɪ /

noun

1. an informal word for chamber pot

2. short for jeroboam

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Sensitive Note

Jerry was a nickname used by Allied soldiers for a German soldier during World War I, but it was more commonly used in World War II.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• Jerries
  plural
• jerries
  plural

Etymology

Origin of jerry¹

First recorded in 1875–80; short for jerry-built

Origin of jerry²

1820–30; short for Jeroboam (because if one drank such a large amount of liquid, one would have to void urine during the night)

Origin of Jerry⁴

First recorded in 1910–15; Ger(man) + -y ¹

Example Sentences

It was judge Jerry Edwards Jr., of Louisiana district court, who sanctioned the lawyer in that recent US case last month.

From Barron's • Jun. 15, 2026

Jerry McGinn, a defense-contracting expert at the nonpartisan Center for Strategic and International Studies, said that many high-end missiles are “essentially handmade munitions” even after years of investment in automation.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 15, 2026

For a model Boldin calculated for MarketWatch, Jerry and Elaine are currently in their 50s and are projected to have a combined $71,000 a year in Social Security benefits by the time they claim.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 9, 2026

This playlist is mostly a mix of jazzy downtempo electronica like Jerry Paper’s “Grey Area” or the Mild High Club’s “Windowpane,” the latter of which has one of my favorite intros of all time.

From Salon • Jun. 6, 2026

The video ended with Persian Jerry Espringer giving his final thought from a toilet seat.

From "Americanized" by Sara Saedi