DJ

1 of 3

noun

ˈdē-ˌjā 

plural DJs

: disc jockey

When they [the Beatles] arrived in the U.S. in 1964, John Lennon spent his first night in New York in his hotel room, calling up radio DJs and asking them to play the Ronettes.

—Rob Sheffield

A hip-hop DJ's roles can be multi-faceted: finding the music for dancing, playing the popular tracks, being the rapper's background band, having, maintaining, and providing the equipment, producing the beats, and not least improvising instrumental solos.

—Kjetil Falkenberg Hansen

—sometimes used as a title in the stage names of disc jockeys

Jeffrey Allen Townes, better known as DJ Jazzy Jeff, is a producer, deejay and actor …

—Greg Bishop

DJ

2 of 3

verb

DJed also DJ'd; DJing; DJs

transitive + intransitive

: to perform the role of a disc jockey : to act as a DJ for

Snoop Dogg has revealed that he turned down [an] offer to DJ a party for Michael Jordan.

—Will Lavin

The distinctiveness of DJing in hip hop started with the development of adroit techniques on two turntables.

—Patrick Rivers

There was a festive vibe as [Herman] Matfes DJ'd the event with fun Hanukkah and holiday music.

—Lani Mustacchi

… Paris Hilton DJed a New Year's Eve party on her own virtual island this year.

—Brad Thomas

DJ

3 of 3

abbreviation

1

district judge

2

doctor of jurisprudence

3

dust jacket

Examples of DJ in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Additionally, Pink, The Chicks, Lil Jon and DJ Cassidy all showed up at the 2024 DNC. —Hilary Lewis, The Hollywood Reporter, 17 Sep. 2024

That’s a punch in the gut to his brother DJ, who tells him his own spot on the UConn team is in jeopardy if Aaron doesn’t go there. —Dave Nemetz, TVLine, 17 Sep. 2024

As teens growing up in Bristol, Connecticut, Aaron and his brother, DJ (Ean Castellanos), train for football careers with their dad, Dennis (Vincent Laresca), an abusive and controlling bully who also clashes frequently with the boys’ mom, Terri (Tammy Blanchard). —Kristen Baldwin, EW.com, 17 Sep. 2024

Bannerman and McDonald welcomed clients, friends and fashion insiders to celebrate their milestone together with pours by Tequila Don Julio, music by DJ Jash Jay and revelry presented by their firm, The Only Agency. —Chris Gardner, The Hollywood Reporter, 6 Sep. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1946, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1948, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

DJ

noun

ˈdē-ˌjā

often not capitalized

: disc jockey