Meaning & use
jarhead
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Meaning
nouncountableinformalAmericanslang
A casual nickname for a United States Marine, from the close-cropped hair and high collar of the uniform.
Grammar: A normal countable noun: one jarhead, two jarheads.
Patterns
- a jarhead from somewhere
My uncle was a jarhead for eight years before he became a firefighter.
The old jarhead still stands up straight whenever the anthem plays.
Among themselves, the recruits joked about being future jarheads.
Word forms
| plural | jarheads |
|---|
Common combinations
- a former jarhead
- The coach is a former jarhead who still runs every morning.
- proud jarhead
- He calls himself a proud jarhead and wears the badge on his cap.
- call someone a jarhead
- Only a fellow Marine can safely call someone a jarhead.
- jarhead haircut
- He kept his jarhead haircut long after leaving service.
Synonyms and how they differ
- leatherneck
- Leatherneck is an older nickname for a Marine and sounds more traditional than jarhead.
- devil dog
- Devil dog is a respectful nickname often used by Marines about each other, while jarhead is more casual and can sound teasing.
- Marine
- Marine is the neutral, official word, so it is safe in any situation where jarhead might offend.
Word family
Commonly confused: jarhead or leatherneck?
jarhead vs leatherneck
Leatherneck is another slang word for a Marine, while jarhead is the more modern and more teasing one.
Practice
A civilian who calls a Marine a jarhead might be seen as disrespectful because the word is ____.
Choose one answer.
Jarhead is informal slang that Marines use about themselves, but an outsider may sound rude. It is not an official rank or a formal term.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “jarhead”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.