Word
jefferson
Phoneticsjef·fer·son
/ˈdʒɛfɝsən/
Definitions
01Thomas Jefferson
n. Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826), the third president of the United States and the main writer of the Declaration of Independence.
n. Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the United States and principal author of the Declaration of Independence. Often used as a metonym for his political philosophy or era.
“Students in the US learn about Jefferson and his role in the American Revolution.”
“The historian argued that Jefferson's private correspondence reveals a much more complex figure than the public image of the Enlightenment philosopher.”
02a two-dollar bill
n. a US two-dollar bill, which has a picture of Thomas Jefferson on it.
n. A United States two-dollar bill. This slang term is derived from the portrait of Thomas Jefferson featured on the obverse of the note.
“He found a crisp Jefferson in his birthday card from his grandfather.”
“While two-dollar bills are legal tender, many cashiers rarely see a Jefferson and may initially mistake it for a counterfeit note.”
American English · Slang · Informal
Teaching tip
This is a very specific piece of American slang; most learners will only encounter it in movies or specific regional contexts.
Synonyms
Etymology
From Jeffrey + -son. The placenames in the United States are named for Thomas Jefferson.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/jefferson