Jamaican

American

[juh-mey-kuhn] / dʒəˈmeɪ kən /

adjective

of or relating to the island of Jamaica or its inhabitants.

noun

a native or inhabitant of Jamaica.

jamaican British

/ dʒəˈmeɪkən /

adjective

of or relating to Jamaica or its inhabitants

"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

noun

a native or inhabitant of Jamaica

"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 Jamaican

First recorded in 1685–95; Jamaic(a) + -an

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.

Their music suggests styles—free jazz, funk, Jamaican dub, rock, and more—while adhering to the conventions of none.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 4, 2026

Jamaican dancehall artist Vybz Kartel won the best Caribbean music act prize after being freed from prison nearly two years ago when judges decided he should not face a retrial for murder.

From BBC • Mar. 26, 2026

Born to Jamaican parents in Mitcham, south London, in 1965, Ricky Walters was blinded in one eye by broken glass as an infant and took to wearing an eye patch.

From BBC • Mar. 25, 2026

Kamla Persad-Bissessar, the prime minister of Trinidad and Tobago, said she empathized with the Cuban people but took issue with her Jamaican counterpart's remarks.

From Barron's • Feb. 25, 2026

She had glued a picture of Doris and John onto a Jamaican cruise ad.

From "When I Was the Greatest" by Jason Reynolds

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