jumbo

American  

[juhm-boh] / ˈdʒʌm boʊ /

noun

plural

jumbos

1. a very large person, animal, or thing.

2. jumbo jet.

3. U.S. Nautical.

   1. a forestaysail having a boom jumbo boom along its foot, used especially on schooners.

   2. a sail used in place of a course on a square-rigged ship, having the form of an isosceles triangle set apex downward.

   3. a narrow triangular sail set point downward in place of a foresail on a topsail schooner.

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adjective

1. very large.

   the jumbo box of cereal.

jumbo British  

/ ˈdʒʌmbəʊ /

noun

1. informal

   1. a very large person or thing

   2. ( as modifier )

      a jumbo box of detergent

2. See jumbo jet

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Etymology

Origin of jumbo

First recorded in 1800–10; origin uncertain; popularized as the name of a large elephant purchased and exhibited by P.T. Barnum in 1882

Explanation

Something that's jumbo is extra large. Your jumbo television might look funny in your tiny apartment. Jumbo is an informal adjective that describes anything enormous. You might spy the word on a menu at a seafood restaurant that serves "jumbo shrimp," or hear it when you're boarding a massive "jumbo jet." The word comes from a famous elephant, Jumbo, known for being the largest in captivity in the 1800s, and purchased from the London Zoo by circus owner P.T. Barnum in 1882.

Example Sentences

To make their jumbo deals palatable to the most possible investors, big companies are splitting up their deals into more pieces than ever before.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 19, 2026

A qualified pilot, Ghalibaf is known for boasting that he is able to captain jumbo jets.

From Barron's • Mar. 19, 2026

“Project Hail Mary” is wholesome science fiction that satisfies like a jumbo serving of apple pie and milk.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 18, 2026

"You can see it as a domestic narrative and then you can see it as a jumbo meat cleaver".

From BBC • Feb. 24, 2026

For biologists, it may have seemed like absolute mumbo jumbo.

From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee

Related Words

• colossal
• oversized