jersey

noun

jer·​sey ˈjər-zē 

plural jerseys

1

a

: any of various close-fitting usually circular-knitted garments especially for the upper body

b

: an often loose-fitting shirt that is worn by a member of a sports team as part of a team uniform and that typically has the athlete's name and number on the back

a football jersey

2

: a plain weft-knitted fabric made of wool, cotton, nylon, rayon, or silk and used especially for clothing

3

capitalized : any of a breed of small short-horned predominantly yellowish brown or fawn dairy cattle noted for their rich milk

Examples of jersey in a Sentence

The dress is made of cotton jersey.

Recent Examples on the Web

Just to get the opportunity to wear this jersey, get my degree, be close to my family. —Thuc Nhi Nguyen, Los Angeles Times, 3 June 2024

Wearing jerseys with their characters’ names, Will Smith (Mike Lowery) and Martin Lawrence (Marcus Burnett) will hit the mound at loanDepot park before the Fish take on the Tampa Bay Rays. —Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 3 June 2024

Elsewhere in the archives is a jersey worn by Team Brazil to the Rio Olympics in 2016 and the very first Air Max shoe produced in 1987. —Carolyn Barber, Fortune, 31 May 2024

The boy, now in eighth grade, wore the Israeli Olympic jersey of his favorite baseball player to school one day, and a group of nine students harassed and bullied him with antisemitic language over the next two years, according to the federal complaint filed on Aug. 11, 2023. —Rebecca Noel, Charlotte Observer, 30 May 2024

Word History

Etymology

Jersey, one of the Channel Islands

First Known Use

1587, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Kids Definition

jersey

noun

jer·​sey ˈjər-zē 

plural jerseys

1

: a plain knitted fabric

2

: a close-fitting knitted garment (as a shirt)

3

capitalized : any of a breed of small usually light tan dairy cattle having short horns and noted for their rich milk

Geographical Definition

Jersey

geographical name

Jer·​sey ˈjər-zē 

1

island in the English Channel; one of the Channel Islands; capital Saint Helier area 45 square miles (117 square kilometers)

Note: The Jersey breed of cattle, the knit fabric called jersey, and the types of upper-body garments called jerseys all derive their names from this island.

2

new jersey

—an informal name

Jerseyan

ˈjər-zē-ən 

noun

Jerseyite

ˈjər-zē-ˌīt 

noun