jane

¹ American

[jeyn] / dʒeɪn /

noun

Slang.

a girl or woman.

Jane ² American

[jeyn] / dʒeɪn /

noun

a female given name: derived from John.

jane British

/ dʒeɪn /

noun

slang a girl or woman

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of jane

An Americanism dating back to 1905–10; generic use of the proper name

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

“Of the civil lawsuits filed by Wigdor, one has been dismissed, the other withdrawn and the Jane Doe case is currently facing motion for case terminating sanctions.”

From The Wall Street Journal

Emily's sister Charlotte also wrote "Jane Eyre" here, another classic of English literature.

From Barron's

Elliott Investment Management took a $1 billion stake and is pushing for Jane Nielsen, Ralph Lauren’s former chief financial officer, to be the next chief executive after CEO Calvin McDonald stepped down in January.

From Barron's

“A poor showing for Labour this spring would almost certainly re-invigorate speculation of a leadership challenge to Starmer,” Rabobank foreign exchange strategist Jane Foley said in a note.

From The Wall Street Journal

The “role” of the late Ethel Bean, seen only in photographs, is played by Jane Alexander.

From The Wall Street Journal

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023