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Glite Dictionary
jarhead

jarhead

15 9.9
A person who serves in the United States Marine Corps
  • noun
  • /ˈdʒɑrˌhɛd/
  • NSFW
translation icon : [insulto para un miembro de los Marines de EE. UU.]
  • Semper Fi, jarheads.
  • nicknamed him Jarhead
  • Jarhead marines
  • fucking Jarhead

I know, I know, I, I bet you other service branches are going, you're not smart enough to tell that joke, Jarhead.

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Examples

  • Happy Birthday to any Jarheads out there, and Happy Birthday to my beloved Marine Corps.

    Blog text (30)

  • I would like to know who that Jarhead is in the chair?

    Blood Hook (1987)

  • And by the way, thanks for fighting for my right to call you a jarhead.

    Blog text (6)

  • I'm currently reading Jarhead, a memoir of a Marine in the first Gulf War.

    Blog text (22)

  • Marines are jarheads.

    Fiction book (1995)

  • He's proud to be a jarhead and often shares stories about his time in the Marines.

  • During the reunion, all the jarheads reminisced about their experiences in boot camp.

  • As a jarhead, he developed a strong sense of camaraderie with his fellow Marines.

Synonyms

Marine
vsjarhead
  • US
110 3.0

A soldier trained to fight on land and at sea in a special military force

is an informal slang label rather than the formal official name
leatherneck
vsjarhead
  • Jargon
3 8.6

A member of the United States Marine Corps

is a broader slang term rather than a traditional nickname
gyrene
vsjarhead
  • Archaic
1 9.9

A person who serves in the United States Marine Corps

has identical slang meaning but uses a different informal label
devil dog
vsjarhead
  • Slang
1 7.2

A member of the United States Marine Corps known for bravery and toughness

is the same informal name but without the bravery emphasis

Surface Forms

jarhead singular
jarheads plural

Morphology

jarhead = jar + head (semi-transparent) = jar + head

Formally a clear compound 'jar' + 'head', but the slang meaning 'Marine' is idiomatic and not predictable from the components.

Etymology

Jarhead is a slang name for a member of the United States Marine Corps. One common idea is that a Marine's very short, neat haircut made the head look like a jar 'container', and another links the name to the small jar or tin of chewing tobacco some Marines carried, so the name gives a quick picture of a Marine and now means a Marine Corps member.