Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

vegan

American  
[vee-guhn, vay-] / ˈvi gən, ˈveɪ- /

noun

  • vegans
    plural
  1. a vegetarian who omits all animal products from the diet.

  2. a person who does not use any animal products, as leather or wool.


adjective

  1. of or relating to vegans or their practices.

    vegan shoes made of synthetic leather.

vegan British  
/ ˈviːɡən /

noun

  1. a person who refrains from using any animal product whatever for food, clothing, or any other purpose

"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

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Nouns


Etymology

Origin of vegan

First recorded in 1940–45; contraction of veg(etari)an


Explanation

If you’re a vegan, you’re a strict vegetarian, and you don’t eat anything that comes from an animal, including meat, fish, eggs, and dairy. A vegan diet is heavy on fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and grains. Because only animal products contain cholesterol, vegans often have lower blood cholesterol than the bacon-cheeseburger crowd. As vegan diets have become more popular, many restaurants now offer a range of vegan choices, like veggie burgers and bean burritos. As you no doubt noticed, vegan is related to vegetarian and vegetable.

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

Vocabulary lists containing vegan

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:

I always aim to offer at least one vegan soup, and I strongly recommend choosing varieties that reheat beautifully.

From Salon ● Oct. 20, 2026

There will also be a pastrami version, and a vegan option made of mushroom and onion.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 20, 2026

Talarico has already faced AI-generated advertisements and baseless claims that he is vegan, an apparently disqualifying dietary choice in the barbecue-heavy southern state.

From Barron's ● Oct. 12, 2026

Past marketing also leaned heavily on its food’s health properties and high-profile endorsers such as Kim Kardashian and Kyrie Irving, the vegan NBA star.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026

“I’d appreciate something a little more specific than dots of vegan options.’

From "Leah on the Offbeat" by Becky Albertalli

A bus-stop ad reading “We made this specifically for vegans and non-vegans and for normally-not-vegan-but-sometimes-flexi-veggie-person-tarians” helped consumers understand what the product was and who should buy it.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 16, 2026

The analysis included 7,280 lacto-ovo-vegetarians, 1,289 vegans, and 40,059 omnivores, allowing researchers to assess differences in nutrient intake, growth, and overall health.

From Science Daily ● Dec. 21, 2025

"At that time, in 2016, there were already some vegans, but far fewer than today. It was also much harder to find certain products," Chassaignon recalled.

From Barron's ● Oct. 30, 2025

The end result is a high-protein powder that is essentially dairy, but which Verley says is suitable for vegans as no cows are involved.

From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2025

And veganism, although Sasha disliked the way other vegans on the Internet made such a huge deal about it.

From "The 57 Bus" by Dashka Slater

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

Get a word

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Look it up. Learn it forever.

Remember new words for good with VocabTrainer. Expand your vocabulary effortlessly with personalized learning tools that adapt to your goals.

Take me to Vocabulary.com