"deb" meaning in English

See deb in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Noun

Audio: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Wodencafe-deb.wav Forms: debs [plural]
Rhymes: -ɛb Etymology: Clipping of debutante or debut. Etymology templates: {{clipping|en|debutante}} Clipping of debutante Head templates: {{en-noun}} deb (plural debs)
  1. (informal) A debutante (a young woman who makes her first formal appearance in society). Tags: informal
    Sense id: en-deb-en-noun-GgBA4~7F Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header, Pages with 5 entries, Pages with entries Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 49 46 6 Disambiguation of Pages with 5 entries: 45 49 6 Disambiguation of Pages with entries: 45 49 6
  2. (informal) A debutante ball or debut. Tags: informal Synonyms: debs
    Sense id: en-deb-en-noun-kACkoaKD Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header, Pages with 5 entries, Pages with entries Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 49 46 6 Disambiguation of Pages with 5 entries: 45 49 6 Disambiguation of Pages with entries: 45 49 6
  3. (slang, dated) A female member of a gang. Tags: dated, slang
    Sense id: en-deb-en-noun-AlC~5xd3
The following are not (yet) sense-disambiguated
Derived forms: debby Related terms: debs

Inflected forms

{
  "derived": [
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0 0",
      "word": "debby"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "debutante"
      },
      "expansion": "Clipping of debutante",
      "name": "clipping"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Clipping of debutante or debut.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "debs",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "deb (plural debs)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "related": [
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0 0",
      "word": "debs"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "49 46 6",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "45 49 6",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with 5 entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "45 49 6",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1922 February, James Joyce, “[Episode 15: Circe]”, in Ulysses, Paris: Shakespeare and Company, […], →OCLC, part II [Odyssey], page 422:",
          "text": "Josie Powell that was, prettiest deb in Dublin. How time flies by!",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1989, Michael Pakenham, The Bitter Web, Lewes, Sussex: The Book Guild Ltd, →ISBN, page 41:",
          "text": "Go back to your debs or little boys if that's what you fancy and leave us hard working girls, the virile, mature and experienced working men of this world.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2021, Harriet Evans, Beloved Girls, London: Headline Review, →ISBN, page 253:",
          "text": "'The Honourable Hester Bingham,' she told Simon. 'They said she was the most stylish deb of her season. Me and Mama read all about her. That was the first season after the war, you know, and she wote a Hardy Amies dress when she was presented to the King and Queen.'",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2022, Shelley Burr, Wake, New York, N.Y.: William Morrow, →ISBN, page 269:",
          "text": "\"After that little crash and burn, I guess my mother thought it would help to give me the same training. Social graces and deportment and all that bullshit. I even had a deb ball.\"",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A debutante (a young woman who makes her first formal appearance in society)."
      ],
      "id": "en-deb-en-noun-GgBA4~7F",
      "links": [
        [
          "debutante",
          "debutante#Noun"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(informal) A debutante (a young woman who makes her first formal appearance in society)."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "informal"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "49 46 6",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "45 49 6",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with 5 entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "45 49 6",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "2017, Gian Sardar, You Were Here, New York, N.Y.: G. P. Putnam's Sons, →ISBN, page 143:",
          "text": "\"When I met him at my deb, I fell for him. Wanted nothing more than to marry him. That it happened, even after all those years, felt as if the stars had finally aligned.\"",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A debutante ball or debut."
      ],
      "id": "en-deb-en-noun-kACkoaKD",
      "links": [
        [
          "debut",
          "debut#Noun"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(informal) A debutante ball or debut."
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "debs"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "informal"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1950, Hal Ellson, Tomboy, New York, N.Y.: Charles Scribner's Sons, page 157:",
          "text": "Then one night Liz showed up at the factory with a scratched face and torn blouse. She had been in a fight at the park with another girl, a deb of the Porto Rican Flyers.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1972, Donald Goines, Black Gangster, Los Angeles, C.A.: Holloway House Publishing Company, published 2004, →ISBN, page 38:",
          "text": "I want you to take over absolute control of all the debs until Ruby is released. Your main job will be to see that most of the girls take at least two tricks a night someplace where the boys can roll them without too much trouble.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A female member of a gang."
      ],
      "id": "en-deb-en-noun-AlC~5xd3",
      "links": [
        [
          "female",
          "female#Adjective"
        ],
        [
          "gang",
          "gang#Noun"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(slang, dated) A female member of a gang."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "dated",
        "slang"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "LL-Q1860 (eng)-Wodencafe-deb.wav",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/5/52/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Wodencafe-deb.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Wodencafe-deb.wav.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/5/52/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Wodencafe-deb.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Wodencafe-deb.wav.ogg"
    },
    {
      "rhymes": "-ɛb"
    }
  ],
  "word": "deb"
}
{
  "categories": [
    "English clippings",
    "English countable nouns",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English nouns",
    "Pages with 5 entries",
    "Pages with entries",
    "Rhymes:English/ɛb",
    "Rhymes:English/ɛb/1 syllable"
  ],
  "derived": [
    {
      "word": "debby"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "debutante"
      },
      "expansion": "Clipping of debutante",
      "name": "clipping"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Clipping of debutante or debut.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "debs",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "deb (plural debs)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "related": [
    {
      "word": "debs"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English informal terms",
        "English terms with quotations"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1922 February, James Joyce, “[Episode 15: Circe]”, in Ulysses, Paris: Shakespeare and Company, […], →OCLC, part II [Odyssey], page 422:",
          "text": "Josie Powell that was, prettiest deb in Dublin. How time flies by!",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1989, Michael Pakenham, The Bitter Web, Lewes, Sussex: The Book Guild Ltd, →ISBN, page 41:",
          "text": "Go back to your debs or little boys if that's what you fancy and leave us hard working girls, the virile, mature and experienced working men of this world.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2021, Harriet Evans, Beloved Girls, London: Headline Review, →ISBN, page 253:",
          "text": "'The Honourable Hester Bingham,' she told Simon. 'They said she was the most stylish deb of her season. Me and Mama read all about her. That was the first season after the war, you know, and she wote a Hardy Amies dress when she was presented to the King and Queen.'",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2022, Shelley Burr, Wake, New York, N.Y.: William Morrow, →ISBN, page 269:",
          "text": "\"After that little crash and burn, I guess my mother thought it would help to give me the same training. Social graces and deportment and all that bullshit. I even had a deb ball.\"",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A debutante (a young woman who makes her first formal appearance in society)."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "debutante",
          "debutante#Noun"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(informal) A debutante (a young woman who makes her first formal appearance in society)."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "informal"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "English informal terms",
        "English terms with quotations"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "2017, Gian Sardar, You Were Here, New York, N.Y.: G. P. Putnam's Sons, →ISBN, page 143:",
          "text": "\"When I met him at my deb, I fell for him. Wanted nothing more than to marry him. That it happened, even after all those years, felt as if the stars had finally aligned.\"",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A debutante ball or debut."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "debut",
          "debut#Noun"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(informal) A debutante ball or debut."
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "debs"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "informal"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "English dated terms",
        "English slang",
        "English terms with quotations"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1950, Hal Ellson, Tomboy, New York, N.Y.: Charles Scribner's Sons, page 157:",
          "text": "Then one night Liz showed up at the factory with a scratched face and torn blouse. She had been in a fight at the park with another girl, a deb of the Porto Rican Flyers.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1972, Donald Goines, Black Gangster, Los Angeles, C.A.: Holloway House Publishing Company, published 2004, →ISBN, page 38:",
          "text": "I want you to take over absolute control of all the debs until Ruby is released. Your main job will be to see that most of the girls take at least two tricks a night someplace where the boys can roll them without too much trouble.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A female member of a gang."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "female",
          "female#Adjective"
        ],
        [
          "gang",
          "gang#Noun"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(slang, dated) A female member of a gang."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "dated",
        "slang"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "LL-Q1860 (eng)-Wodencafe-deb.wav",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/5/52/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Wodencafe-deb.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Wodencafe-deb.wav.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/5/52/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Wodencafe-deb.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Wodencafe-deb.wav.ogg"
    },
    {
      "rhymes": "-ɛb"
    }
  ],
  "word": "deb"
}

Download raw JSONL data for deb meaning in English (4.2kB)


This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2025-01-06 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2025-01-01 using wiktextract (f889f65 and 8fbd9e8). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.