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Synonyms

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.

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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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.

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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.

Japanese star Masashi "Jumbo" Ozaki, inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame, has died of colon cancer, his son announced Wednesday.

From Barron's • Dec. 24, 2025

The English actress Cush Jumbo narrates this ambitious collaboration between Audible and Pottermore.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 19, 2025

Tennant and Jumbo took full advantage, savoring the language and the psychology in equal measure.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 19, 2025

He reportedly told investigators that he had abandoned the animal, originally called Jumbo, because he was leaving Florida due to the storm and could not find anyone to look after him.

From BBC • Oct. 16, 2024

"But what is the white figure, this Mama Jumbo?" asked the captain.

From Abb? Aubain and Mosaics by M?rim?e, Prosper

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.