Jerry Definition & Meaning

American

British

Sensitive Note

Etymology

Synonyms jerry 1 American [jer-ee] / ˈdʒɛr i /

adjective

Building Trades Slang.

1. of inferior materials or workmanship.

Jerry 2 American [jer-ee] / ˈdʒɛr i /

noun

1. a male given name, form of Gerald, Gerard, Jeremiah, and Jerome.

2. a female given name, form of Geraldine.

jerry 3 American [jer-ee] / ˈdʒɛr i /

noun

Chiefly British Slang.

plural

jerries

1. a chamber pot.

Jerry 4 American [jer-ee] / ˈdʒɛr i /

noun

Older Slang: Sometimes Offensive.

plural

Jerries

1. a German, especially a German soldier.

2. Germans collectively.

Jerry 1 British / ˈdʒɛrɪ /

noun

1. a German, esp a German soldier

2. the Germans collectively

   Jerry didn't send his bombers out last night

"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 jerry 2 British / ˈdʒɛrɪ /

noun

1. an informal word for chamber pot

2. short for jeroboam

"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

Sensitive Note

Jerry was a nickname used by Allied soldiers for a German soldier during World War I, but it was more commonly used in World War II.

Etymology

Origin of jerry1

First recorded in 1875–80; short for jerry-built

Origin of jerry3

1820–30; short for Jeroboam (because if one drank such a large amount of liquid, one would have to void urine during the night)

Origin of Jerry4

First recorded in 1910–15; Ger(man) + -y 1

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

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.