Jew

noun

ˈjü 

1

: a person belonging to a continuation through descent or conversion of the ancient Jewish people

2

: one whose religion is Judaism

3

a

: a member of the tribe of Judah

b

: israelite

4

: a member of a nation existing in Palestine from the sixth century b.c. to the first century a.d.

Examples of Jew in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Set against 1937 Fascist Germany, Harold May (Piven) is an American Jew and gifted tap dancer nearly past his prime but still hungry for success. —Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 13 Dec. 2024

Suspicious of Dreyfus as a Jew and as an outsider from the École polytechnique, unsavoury army officers secretly arrested him, brought in some forensic experts with dubious theories and convicted him of treason in a court-martial. —Rob Crossan, JSTOR Daily, 13 Dec. 2024

Maureen loathed that her daughter had married a commoner, and a Jew at that. —Negar Azimi, The New Yorker, 12 Dec. 2024

Players, Arab and Jew, listened intently to one another, responded in solos as though part of a personal dialogue — a search for what brings them together, not what keeps them apart. —Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times, 5 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French ju, jeu, from Latin Judaeus, from Greek Ioudaios, from Hebrew Yĕhūdhī, from Yĕhūdhāh Judah, Jewish kingdom

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing Jew

• Jew's harp

Kids Definition

Jew

noun

ˈjü 

1

: one of the ancient Hebrews or a descendant of the ancient Hebrews

2

: one whose religion is Judaism

Jewish

ˈjü-ish

adjective