English Dictionary — Definitions & Meanings

jocular

adj

Fond of joking and having a good laugh.

jocularity

noun

Funny remarks or behaviour meant to amuse people.

joculatrix

noun

A woman who works as a jester, comedian or entertainer.

jodhpurs

noun

Trousers worn for horse riding, wide at the top and close-fitting from the knee down, made of thick material.

jodi

noun

In South Asian English, a pair or couple, especially a matched or well-suited one.

Jody

noun

Military slang for the man who takes up with a soldier's partner while the soldier is away.

Joe

noun

An ordinary man; a generic term for "guy" or "fellow."

Joel

name

A masculine given name of Hebrew origin, meaning "Yahweh is God," also the name of a biblical prophet.

Joelle

name

A feminine given name, the French feminine form of Joel.

joey

noun

A baby kangaroo or similar marsupial.

jog

noun

A slow, steady run, often done for exercise.

jogger

noun

A person who jogs regularly, usually for fitness.

jogging

noun

Running at an easy, steady pace, usually for exercise rather than speed.

joggle

verb

To give something a small, sudden push that makes it wobble or shake.

joggling

noun

The action of shaking something gently up and down.

Jogi

name

An Indo-Aryan language spoken in Sindh, Pakistan and Gujarat, India.

Johan

name

A masculine given name, a Scandinavian and Germanic form of John.

Johann

name

A masculine given name, the German form of John, borne by many notable composers and scientists.

Johanna

name

A feminine given name, the German and Scandinavian form of Joanna.

Johannes

noun

An old Portuguese gold coin, stamped with the image of King John V, that circulated in the 18th and early 19th centuries.

Johannesburg

name

The largest city in South Africa, founded during the nineteenth-century gold rush.

Johansen

name

A Scandinavian surname meaning "son of Johan."

Johansson

name

A Swedish surname meaning "son of Johan."

john

noun

Informal US term for a toilet.

Johnathan

name

A masculine given name, a variant spelling of Jonathan.

Johnnie

name

A masculine given name, a variant spelling of Johnny, a pet form of John.

Johnno

name

An informal Australian and British nickname for a man named John or Jonathan.

Johnny

noun

British slang for a condom.

Johns

name

An English surname derived from the given name John.

johnson

noun

Vulgar slang for the penis.

Johnston

name

A Scottish surname, originally referring to someone from a place in Dumfriesshire whose name meant "John's town."

Johnstone

name

A surname, and the name of a town in Renfrewshire, Scotland.

johnstown

name

Several places in the United States, seventeen in all, including a Larimer and Weld counties, Colorado home rule municipality, a Fulton County, New York city serving as its seat, and a Cambria County, Pennsylvania city.

JOI

noun

A genre of pornography in which a performer speaks directly to the camera and talks the viewer through masturbating, giving pace, timing and instructions.

Joie

name

A short, informal form of the male name Joseph or the female name Josephine.

join

verb

To connect two or more things so they form a single unit.

joined

verb

Past tense and past participle of join: became a member of a group, organisation or activity.

joiner

noun

A skilled tradesperson who builds furniture, doors, and fittings from wood.

joining

noun

The point or seam where two things meet or are fastened together.

joint

adj

Shared or done by two or more people together.

jointly

adv

Done together by two or more people, sharing responsibility or ownership.

jointure

noun

A place or way in which two things are joined together.

joist

noun

A long beam of wood or steel fixed across a gap to support a floor or ceiling.

jojo

noun

A thick, seasoned potato wedge that is battered and deep-fried.

joke

noun

A short story or remark meant to make people laugh.

joker

noun

A person who likes making jokes.

jokes

adj

Slang for very funny or entertaining.

jokesome

adj

Full of jokes and good humour.

jokester

noun

A person who is always making jokes or playing tricks, especially one whose humour is more constant than it is clever.

joking

noun

The act of telling jokes or not being serious.

joky

adj

Said or done as a joke; fond of joking.

Jolene

name

A female given name, made famous by the Dolly Parton song of the same title.

Jolie

name

A female given name from French, meaning "pretty."

jollify

verb

To make someone feel cheerful and lively.

jolliness

noun

Cheerful, happy good humour.

jollity

noun

A cheerful, happy mood.

jolly

adj

Cheerful, good-humoured, and full of high spirits.

Jolson

name

A surname, most famously borne by the entertainer Al Jolson.

jolt

verb

To shake or push something abruptly and roughly.

jolting

adj

Causing sudden, rough movements.

jolty

adj

Full of sudden bumps and jerks.

Jolyon

name

A male given name, an old spelling of Julian that has stayed in gentle, occasional use since the 1920s.

Jon

name

A male given name, a short form of John or Jonathan.

Jonah

noun

Someone or something believed to bring bad luck, especially aboard a ship.

Jonas

name

A male given name from Hebrew, related to the biblical prophet Jonah.

Jonathan

noun

A variety of red-skinned apple, tart and crisp, first grown in New York.

Jonathon

name

A male given name, an alternate spelling of Jonathan.

jones

noun

Slang for heroin.

jonesing

adjective

Suffering withdrawal, or desperately craving something.

jong

noun

A fortified Tibetan building, usually serving as both a monastery and a fortress, that anchors a local district.

jongleur

noun

A travelling performer in medieval England and France whose skills included singing, music and acrobatics; a troubadour.

Joni

name

A female given name, commonly used as a nickname for Joan.

Jonny

name

A male given name, a variant spelling of Johnny, or a nickname for Jonathan.

jonty

name

A short form of the male forename Jonathan.

Joo

name

A Korean surname.

jook

verb

To move fast to avoid or escape something.

Joplin

name

A surname, borne by the ragtime composer Scott Joplin and the rock singer Janis Joplin.

joppa

name

A small settlement in Hayle parish, south-west Cornwall, England (OS grid ref SW5636).

Jordan

name

A country in the Middle East, and the river that flows through it into the Dead Sea.

Jordy

name

A male given name, a nickname for Jordan or George.

Jorge

name

A male given name from Spanish or Portuguese, equivalent to the English name George.

jorja

name

A female first name of Ancient Greek, a new Australian spelling of Georgia origin.

Jos

name

A short, informal form of the male name Joseph.

Jose

name

A male given name from Spanish and Portuguese, equivalent to the English name Joseph.

Josef

name

A male given name, a variant spelling of Joseph used in German, Czech, and other European languages.

Josefina

name

A municipality in the Zamboanga del Sur province of the Philippines.

Joseon

name

A Korean kingdom and ruling dynasty that governed the Korean Peninsula from 1392 to 1897.

Joseph

name

A figure in the Hebrew Bible, the favored son of Jacob who was sold into slavery by his brothers but rose to power in Egypt.

Josephine

name

A female given name from French, the feminine form of Joseph.

josephson

name

An English surname that originated as a patronymic.

Josephus

name

Flavius Josephus, a Roman-Jewish historian of the first century known for his accounts of Jewish history and the fall of Jerusalem.

josey

name

A female given name used as a short form of Josephine.

Josh

name

A male given name, a short form of Joshua.

joshi

noun

Japanese women's professional wrestling, or a female wrestler within that scene.

Joshua

name

A book of the Hebrew Bible, and its central figure, who led the Israelites after the death of Moses.

Joshy

name

A male given name, an affectionate nickname for Joshua.

Josiah

name

A king of Judah in the Hebrew Bible, remembered for his religious reforms.

josias

name

A male first name of Hebrew, the New Testament Greek form of Josiah origin.

Josie

name

A female given name, a nickname for Josephine.

joslyn

name

A modern female given name of Germanic origin, a variant of Jocelyn.

joss

noun

A Chinese religious figure or idol worshipped in a household or temple.

jostle

verb

To bump or push against someone while moving, often in a crowd.

jostling

noun

The action of jostling someone: a push or shove.

jot

noun

A tiny amount of something; the smallest bit.

jotter

noun

A small notebook for writing quick notes.

Joubert

name

A surname of French and Afrikaans origin.

joule

noun

The SI unit of energy, work and heat, equal to one watt-second.

jounce

verb

To make someone or something bounce up and down roughly, such as when driving over rough ground or riding on horseback.

journal

noun

A personal diary where someone regularly records thoughts or events.

journalism

noun

The work of gathering, writing, and publishing news for the public.

journalist

noun

Someone whose job is reporting on news and current events.

journalistic

adjective

Relating to journalism or the style typical of journalists.

journey

noun

A trip from one place to another, especially a long one.

journeyman

noun

A skilled worker who has finished training in a trade.

joust

noun

A contest in which two mounted knights charge at each other with lances.

jousting

noun

A medieval sport in which armored knights on horseback charged each other with lances.

Jovan

name

A male given name, the Macedonian and Serbian form of John.

Jove

name

Another name for Jupiter, the Roman king of the gods.

jovial

adjective

Cheerful, friendly, and full of good humor.

joviality

noun

A cheerful, friendly and sociable mood.

jovialness

noun

The quality of being cheerful and friendly.

jovian

adj

Relating to the planet Jupiter.

jowl

noun

The jaw, especially the side of it.

joy

noun

A feeling of great happiness or delight.

Joyce

name

An English and Irish surname, most famously borne by the novelist James Joyce.

joyful

adj

Full of joy; feeling or causing great happiness.

joyfully

adv

In a way that shows or is full of joy.

joyfulness

noun

A feeling of great happiness.

joyless

adj

Not happy; sad or dull.

Joyner

name

A surname, an occupational name for someone who made furniture — a joiner.

joyous

adj

Full of joy; happy or delightful.

joyously

adv

In a happy, cheerful way.

joyousness

noun

A feeling of great happiness and delight.

joyride

noun

A drive taken purely for fun, with no real destination or purpose.

joyriding

noun

The act of taking a joyride, especially in a stolen vehicle.

joystick

noun

A hand-operated lever used to control machinery, video games, or aircraft.

jozi

name

A nickname for Johannesburg.

JPEG

noun

A widely used format for storing photographs, which shrinks the file by discarding fine detail the eye is unlikely to notice.

JPG

noun

A file extension for the JPEG image format, and an image saved with it; the same format as JPEG under a shorter name.

Jr

adj

Abbreviation for "junior," used after a name to distinguish a son from a father who shares the same name.

JS

noun

JavaScript, the programming language that runs in web browsers to make pages interactive, and on servers through runtimes such as Node.

JSON

noun

A plain-text format for storing and sending structured data, using labelled values grouped inside braces and lists inside square brackets. It is readable by people and easily processed by most programming languages.

ju

noun

A unit of a traditional Chinese book, roughly equivalent to a chapter or volume.

Juan

name

A male given name from Spanish, equivalent to the English name John.

Juana

name

A female given name from Spanish, the feminine counterpart of Juan.

Juanita

name

A female given name from Spanish, a diminutive form of Juana.

Juarez

name

A surname of Spanish origin.

Jubal

name

A biblical figure, the son of Lamech, described in Genesis as an ancestor of musicians.

jubilant

adjective

Feeling or showing great, open happiness, usually after a success.

jubilantly

adv

In a very happy and triumphant way.