jeep

1 of 3

noun

ˈjēp 

: a small general-purpose motor vehicle with 80-inch wheelbase, ¹/₄-ton capacity, and four-wheel drive used by the U.S. Army in World War II

also : a similar but larger and more powerful U.S. army vehicle

jeep

2 of 3

verb

jeeped; jeeping; jeeps

intransitive verb

: to travel by jeep

Jeep

3 of 3

trademark

—used for a civilian automotive vehicle

Examples of jeep in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

More than 1,000 Palestinian militants followed, breaching the border barricade on motorcycles and jeeps, swarming from boats on the sea, and paragliding in from the air. —Suzanne Maloney, Foreign Affairs, 10 Dec. 2024

The mom of three can be seen posing with T-rex Rhiannon in one snap and leaning on Evy, who's on top of the jeep, in a second picture. —Emma Aerin Becker, People.com, 1 Nov. 2024

Verb

The excitement continued when the boys took a Jeep rock climb into the high desert rocks in a custom Starwood Motors jeep with steep inclines and drops to add to the adventure. —Jim Dobson, Forbes, 22 June 2021

The Chicago Gun Club had applied to start an upscale range with two membership lounges, a 32-bay firing range, firearm and Jeep retail space; residents expressed concern that the business would serve alcohol, according to articles. —Mark Lawton, chicagotribune.com, 26 June 2017

Word History

Etymology

Noun

probably ultimately from Eugene the Jeep, character in the comic strip Thimble Theater by Elzie C. Segar

First Known Use

Noun

1940, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1942, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

jeep

noun

ˈjēp

: a small general-purpose motor vehicle with four-wheel drive used by the U.S. Army in World War II

Etymology

Noun

an altered form of g.p., an abbreviation for "general purpose," influenced by the name Eugene the Jeep, a comic strip character

Word Origin

In March 1936 in newspapers across the country, Popeye's girlfriend, Olive Oyl, was delivered a box labeled "Eugene the Jeep." The contents of the box turned out to be a friendly little animal that made the sound "jeep." Elzie Segar, the creator of the comic strip, went on with the story of Eugene the Jeep through much of 1936. In 1937 work began on the development of an all-purpose vehicle for the military. When this vehicle was ready for use, it was apparently called g.p. for "general purpose." Probably because of the popularity of Eugene the Jeep, the pronunciation of g.p. was shortened to one syllable, and the spelling jeep became normal.