Mary Jane
noun
a small, round sponge cake, usually with a circular indentation on top, for topping with fruit, whipped cream, etc., and served as an individual portion.
Mary Jane
1 American
[mair-ee jayn]
/ ˈmɛər i ˈdʒeɪn /
noun
Trademark.
-
Mary Janes, small bits of chocolate, candy, sugar, or the like, for sprinkling on ice cream; sprinkles.
-
a brand of young girls' low-heeled shoe of patent leather having across the instep a single strap that fastens at the side.
Mary Jane
2
American
[mair-ee jayn]
/ ˈmɛər i ˌdʒeɪn /
Or
maryjane
noun
Slang.
mary jane
British
noun
Etymology
Origin of Mary Jane
First recorded in 1925–30; translation of Mexican Spanish marijuana, by the popular assumption—probably incorrect—that it is a compound of Spanish María and Juana
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:
“This was hugely consequential and very different from what has happened in previous rebalances because we got Apple, Microsoft, Amazon,” said Mary Jane Matts, director of large-cap equities at CS McKee.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
“It’s daily moral agony for her,” Mary Jane marvels.
From New York Times ● Apr. 23, 2024
Video shared by Rapper 50 Cent showed 64-year-old Mary Jane Farquharson enjoying his gig at Resorts World Arena.
From BBC ● Nov. 16, 2023
A new Vans collab is a Mary Jane with an orchid attached.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 13, 2023
“Everyone in town knew she didn’t like Cammi,” Dallas says of Mary Jane.
From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel
She had picked out her favorite mask — a blue one with white polka-dots — and a pair of mary jane shoes with cats on them for her first day.
From Washington Post ● Sep. 29, 2020
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.
