jewel
noun
a cut and polished precious stone; gem.
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jewel
1 American
[joo-uhl]
/ ˈdʒu əl /
noun
-
jewels
plural
-
a cut and polished precious stone; gem.
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a fashioned ornament for personal adornment, especially of a precious metal set with gems.
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a precious possession.
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a person or thing that is treasured, esteemed, or indispensable.
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a durable bearing used in fine timepieces and other delicate instruments, made of natural or synthetic precious stone or other very hard material.
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an ornamental boss of glass, sometimes cut with facets, in stained-glass work.
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something resembling a jewel in appearance, ornamental effect, or the like, as a star.
verb (used with object)
jeweled,
jeweling,
jewelled,
jewelling
Jewel
2
American
[joo-uhl]
/ ˈdʒu əl /
noun
jewel
British
/ ˈdʒuːəl /
noun
-
a precious or semiprecious stone; gem
-
a person or thing resembling a jewel in preciousness, brilliance, etc
-
a gemstone, often synthetically produced, used as a bearing in a watch
-
a piece of jewellery
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an ornamental glass boss, sometimes faceted, used in stained glasswork
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the most valuable, esteemed, or successful person or thing of a number
who will be the jewel in the crown of English soccer?
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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jewel-likeadjective
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jewelledadjective
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jewellikeadjective
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unjeweledadjective
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unjewelledadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of jewel
1250–1300; Middle English jouel juel < Anglo-French jeul, Old French jouel, joel < Vulgar Latin *jocāle plaything, noun use of neuter of *jocālis (adj.) of play, equivalent to Latin joc ( us ) joke + -ālis -al 1
Explanation
A jewel is a valuable gem or stone, one that might be set in a ring or necklace. Your grandmother might keep her jewels locked in a safe, to protect them from thieves. You can see large, gorgeous jewels in museums and jewelry stores. The diamond in a diamond ring is a jewel, and the rubies in a pair of sparkly red earrings are also jewels. You can also use the word to mean "person as special as a jewel." The Old French root is jouel, which may stem from jocus, "sport or pastime" in Latin, and "that which causes joy" in Vulgar Latin.
Vocabulary lists containing jewel
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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.
See Examples For:
Citing the versatility Moore has showcased over her career, Amy Nicholson says, “ ‘The Debut’ lets her do it all, showcasing her multifaceted gifts like a jewel box with a diamond.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 27, 2026
Moody jewel tones and rich finishes throughout the residence make it feel like a world of its own, but it’s conveniently located at the “meeting point” of Greenwich Village, the West Village, and SoHo.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 14, 2026
It taught me to always give music a chance, no matter how ugly the art or how crusty the jewel case.
From Salon ● Oct. 4, 2026
After the U.S.-Iran war effectively closed the waterway, trade at Dubai’s Port of Jebel Ali—the crown jewel of DP World’s global ports network—plummeted 90%, posing a challenge to the company’s new chief executive, Yuvraj Narayan.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026
He held up the candle, looking for a fallen star, a rock, perhaps, or a jewel, but he saw nothing.
From "Stardust" by Neil Gaiman
The WWE Crown Jewel 2026 event will still take place this weekend, but at a new venue.
From BBC ● Nov. 3, 2026
Throughout the 1980s, he wrote the soundtrack for a number of TV series, including the Bafta-winning The Jewel in the Crown, The Monocled Mutineer, and Alan Bennett's Talking Heads.
From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026
I did talk to people who are happy with Runna, including Jewel Christensen, a seasoned runner from Yakima, Wash.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 8, 2026
A family-friendly mix of artists included Elmo and Christopher Jackson, Shaggy and Busta Rhymes, Foreigner and Debbie Gibson, Jewel and Cynthia Erivo, the voices behind the hit animated series K-Pop Demon Hunters.
From Salon ● Nov. 27, 2025
“It’s Celia. Celia Foote. How are you? Oh, I just love that dress. Where’d you get that? Over at the Jewel Taylor Shoppe?”
From "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett
While Wall Street is divided on when Musk will actually push to combine the crown jewels of his empire, Nelson thinks there’s a 90% chance it happens by the end of next year.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026
All are adorned with jewels and tails made of real horse hair, many of which have been eaten by squirrels or other critters.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 12, 2026
One of the most high-profile such incidents was in October last year, when France's crown jewels were stolen in broad daylight from the Louvre in Paris.
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026
Robert K. Wittman, a former FBI agent who specialized in investigating the crime, discusses the recent trend that has seen crown jewels, paintings and more stolen from institutions across Europe.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026
Then filling their hands with gold and jewels, she had Zephyr bear them back to the hill.
From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton
Sumac guinea foul with za’atar beetroot and jeweled cauliflower rice.
From Slate ● Aug. 15, 2026
If the thieves who dropped Empress Eugenie’s crown outside the Louvre during this year’s heist, sparked an interest in jeweled headgear, try this encyclopedic guide to the world’s most famous tiaras.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 28, 2025
Buddz went for a grouping of jeweled brooches.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 4, 2024
Iranian-style jewelry studded with jade and other precious stones were popular during the Ottoman period, and Joyce may have applied his newfound skills to crafting rings, earrings, necklaces, and intricate jeweled turban aigrettes.
From National Geographic ● Jan. 11, 2024
The girl's jeweled pinafore balloons around her small waist, and the little hat on her head threatens to fall off.
From "The Belles" by Dhonielle Clayton
And at night, when the ticky-tacky disappears and the jeweling lights go on, the happy, hoppy daydream becomes a garden of visual delight.
From Time Magazine Archive
She will miss this glorious light warming the inside of her skin and jeweling the trees, the grass, the lily pond beyond the hedge.
From "How the García Girls Lost Their Accents" by Julia Alvarez
For a half hour the torrents fell--then the sun burst forth, jeweling the forest with a million scintillant gems; but today the ape-man, usually alert to the changing wonders of the jungle, saw them not.
From Jungle Tales of Tarzan by Edgar Rice Burroughs
We would not advise jeweling the pivot holes, because there is but slight friction, except to the foot of the balance pivot, which should be jeweled with a plano-convex garnet.
For by their necessity the gods were compelled to invent the arts of metal-working, weaving, carpentry, jeweling and many other useful appliances for the human race.
From Japanese Fairy World Stories from the Wonder-Lore of Japan by Ozawa
In a vast, dimly lit main hall spanning four levels, visitors gazed at chariots, household items, jewelled ornaments and, at the centre, Tutankhamun's iconic golden mask.
From Barron's ● Nov. 4, 2025
Annie did an interview on her "charity work" with the Aberdeen Evening News, turning up at a hotel in Portree in a striking crimson dressing gown and fingers adorned with jewelled rings.
From BBC ● May 22, 2025
Both men remain in Macau prison, a far cry from the jewelled opulence of the VIP parlours they once presided over.
From Reuters ● Sep. 19, 2022
Bookbinder Sangorski and his business partner George Sutcliffe were already highly regarded for their elaborate jewelled covers.
From BBC ● Apr. 14, 2022
When he came out he was bearing in his arms a great load of treasure: things of gold, silver, copper, and bronze; many beads and chains and jewelled ornaments.
From "The Fellowship of the Ring" by J.R.R. Tolkien
So we stroll and look at the shops, at the filigree gold jewelling of the peasants, at a good bookshop.
From Sea and Sardinia by D. H. (David Herbert) Lawrence
From where he sat he could see the trembling lights of the village jewelling the rim of the bay like a circlet of stars.
From Flood Tide by Sara Ware Bassett
Store sufficient of raiment is all she need have, and such jewelling as it shall please you to bestow on her.
From The White Lady of Hazelwood A Tale of the Fourteenth Century by W. (William) Rainey
Dew jewelling the grasses in the fields, the chatter of birds among the trees, a sparkling freshness in the air, and before me the road, running white into the gold of the rising sun.
From The Courtship of Morrice Buckler A Romance by A. E. W. (Alfred Edward Woodley) Mason
She paused a moment, looking up at the wooded hill-top, which the sun was jewelling in silver.
From Other Things Being Equal by Emma Wolf
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