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
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 As a proud Jew for Palestinian freedom, being excluded from a rally against antisemitism was painful. Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 6 Mar. 2024 In total, there were 16 comments made using a racist term for Black people, 57 comments using the word Jew pejoratively and 77 comments in which an officer used a derogatory term for a member of the LGBTQ community. Sarah Nelson, The Indianapolis Star, 6 Mar. 2024 Keitel plays Lali, a Slovakian Jew who, in his 80s, meets aspiring writer Heather Morris (Melanie Lynskey) and finds the courage to tell his story. Ed Meza, Variety, 29 Feb. 2024 Other issues include considering the Jewish status of the mother — Judaism is matrilineal — and converting a child if a donor egg comes from a non-Jew. Michelle Boorstein, Washington Post, 28 Feb. 2024 Larry is unsettled, as a Jew, by the militant posters on the restaurant’s walls. James Poniewozik, New York Times, 2 Feb. 2024 Farkas, a Jew of Hungarian descent born in Ombad, Romania, on Aug. 28, 1929, was freed from Nazi captivity as a teenager in the final months of World War II and eventually settled in the Twin Cities. Alex Derosier, Twin Cities, 24 Jan. 2024 David arrived nine months later, a 16-year-old Polish Jew who loved to sing. Keren Blankfeld, Smithsonian Magazine, 22 Jan. 2024 Ben is just as afraid as Beau — afraid of letting his mothers down, afraid of not being a good enough Jew and, most pointedly, afraid that love and happiness isn’t a real option for him. Jourdain Searles, The Hollywood Reporter, 21 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'Jew.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of Jew was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near Jew

Cite this Entry

“Jew.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Jew. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

Jew

noun
1
: one of the ancient Hebrews or a descendant of the ancient Hebrews
2
: one whose religion is Judaism
Jewish
ˈjü-ish
adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on Jew

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