jeep

1 of 3

noun

: a small general-purpose motor vehicle with 80-inch wheelbase, ¹/₄-ton capacity, and four-wheel drive used by the U.S. Army in World War II
also : a similar but larger and more powerful U.S. army vehicle

jeep

2 of 3

verb

jeeped; jeeping; jeeps

intransitive verb

: to travel by jeep

Jeep

3 of 3

trademark

used for a civilian automotive vehicle

Examples of jeep in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Every day, millions of people hop on and off the ornate beasts, derived from surplus World War II U.S. jeeps. Mark Saludes, The Christian Science Monitor, 14 Feb. 2024 The spacious property offers ample opportunities for meandering the grounds, kayaking, paddle boarding, observing wildlife, stargazing, land cruiser jeep tours on the beach, motorboat safaris, and participation in complimentary daily resort activities running from yoga to nature classes. Irene S. Levine, Forbes, 13 Feb. 2024 Burnett was always known for his adventurous and spontaneous spirit, willing to try anything like rappelling down a high rise, driving a jeep over boulders or racing on Big Wheels. Kristine Sorensen, CBS News, 12 Feb. 2024 Each jeep was stripped of nonessential parts, including the windshield, and fitted to carry extra fuel, water, ammunition and rations for longer missions. Robert D. McFadden, New York Times, 4 Jan. 2024 Her husband was dead, killed in a jeep on a road outside. Patrick Reevell, ABC News, 15 Nov. 2023 Desperately short of modern armored vehicles, the Russians are using vans, trucks and jeeps for more and more front-line tasks. David Axe, Forbes, 10 Dec. 2023 The Israeli jeep reappeared, and the sight corkscrewed the crowd’s energy. Anand Gopal, The New Yorker, 10 Dec. 2023 The training included jeeps and motorcycles, and a scenario of shooting down an aircraft. Daniel Arkin, NBC News, 2 Dec. 2023
Verb
The excitement continued when the boys took a Jeep rock climb into the high desert rocks in a custom Starwood Motors jeep with steep inclines and drops to add to the adventure. Jim Dobson, Forbes, 22 June 2021 The Chicago Gun Club had applied to start an upscale range with two membership lounges, a 32-bay firing range, firearm and Jeep retail space; residents expressed concern that the business would serve alcohol, according to articles. Mark Lawton, chicagotribune.com, 26 June 2017

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

probably ultimately from Eugene the Jeep, character in the comic strip Thimble Theater by Elzie C. Segar

First Known Use

Noun

1940, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1942, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of jeep was in 1940

Dictionary Entries Near jeep

Cite this Entry

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

Kids Definition

jeep

noun
ˈjēp
: a small general-purpose motor vehicle with four-wheel drive used by the U.S. Army in World War II
Etymology

Noun

an altered form of g.p., an abbreviation for "general purpose," influenced by the name Eugene the Jeep, a comic strip character

Word Origin
In March 1936 in newspapers across the country, Popeye's girlfriend, Olive Oyl, was delivered a box labeled "Eugene the Jeep." The contents of the box turned out to be a friendly little animal that made the sound "jeep." Elzie Segar, the creator of the comic strip, went on with the story of Eugene the Jeep through much of 1936. In 1937 work began on the development of an all-purpose vehicle for the military. When this vehicle was ready for use, it was apparently called g.p. for "general purpose." Probably because of the popularity of Eugene the Jeep, the pronunciation of g.p. was shortened to one syllable, and the spelling jeep became normal.

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