deejay

1 of 2

noun

dee·​jay ˈdē-ˌjā How to pronounce deejay (audio)
plural deejays
: disc jockey
a radio/club/wedding deejay
There will be live music nightly as well as a deejay spinning Mexican classics.Greg Morago
There's no band, just a deejay in the main room working an assortment of equipment. At raves, the deejay is creator, generating an endless flow of synthesized song.Barbara Bradley
deejay verb

deejay

2 of 2

verb

deejayed; deejaying; deejays

transitive + intransitive

: to perform the role of a disc jockey : to act as a deejay for
deejayed the party/wedding
deejays for the station/club
… there was something hypnotic and empowering about being the person to bring dancers to a fevered pitch. Whenever I deejayed here and fed the crowd's craving for good music, we connected in a way.Rhonda Helms
Goldie, the darling of England's own burgeoning answer to hip-hop—a form of rap on speed called jungle—chose to deejay instead of perform his own music on this, his second stateside tour.Dennis Romero

Examples of deejay in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
So many people just think of deejays as someone who's just playing on a playlist. Lisa Kocay, Forbes, 22 Feb. 2024 The mother of three and grandmother of four was a popular Tejano deejay who lived in the Kansas City area her entire life, according to her obituary. Anna Lazarus Caplan, Peoplemag, 21 Feb. 2024 Being co-hosted by Mario Carbone, passed food was, of course, provided by Carbone while Zack Bia was stationed at the deejay booth all night. Vogue, 12 Feb. 2024 Season 1 was a gradual unfolding of a trippy new world (including the marvelously meh Medium Place), with surprises tucked around every corner (silent monk Jianyu is actually a Jacksonville deejay bro?). Ew Staff, EW.com, 8 Jan. 2024 The after hours invite-only event will transport guests to an immersive world of music, art, technology, and style set against a musical lineup of today's most sought after deejays including a headlining set with Rampa of Keinemusik. Erica Wertheim Zohar, Forbes, 29 Nov. 2023 Issac Farris was the deejay, and a young Christine King arrived at the reception with a date — a young preacher in the mode of her brothers and father. Ernie Suggs The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (tns), al, 30 June 2023 On opening night, as The Muses and special guest deejay Alison Mosshart from The Kills were on the deejay decks, Robbie and her gaggle of girls were caught dancing the night away to ABBA’s greatest hits. Eliseé Browchuk, Vogue, 13 Feb. 2023 Holker paid tribute to her late husband and beloved Ellen DeGeneres Show deejay last month with a touching post on Father's Day. Erin Clack, Peoplemag, 5 July 2023
Verb
Who: Mythos deejays DJ Andy K, Poodle Lounge resident Bob Shaffer and Oracle resident Tober. Melissa Oyler, Charlotte Observer, 24 Jan. 2024 Guests can vibe to golden age hip hop, and 90s R&B and pop – Mr. Kinetik will deejay – while sampling innovative takes on brunch staples. Cheryl V. Jackson, The Indianapolis Star, 8 July 2022 On the red carpet, Hilton told Access Hollywood that she was called on to deejay a Grammys after-party—Olivia Rodrigo's after-party, to be exact. Rosa Sanchez, Harper's BAZAAR, 4 Apr. 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'deejay.' 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

Noun

disc jockey

Verb

derivative of deejay entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

1946, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1949, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of deejay was in 1946

Dictionary Entries Near deejay

Cite this Entry

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

Kids Definition

deejay

noun
dee·​jay ˈdē-ˌjā How to pronounce deejay (audio)

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