Meaning & use
Mary Jane
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountable
A flat, closed shoe with a round toe and a strap that fastens across the top of the foot.
Grammar: Often used in the plural for a pair: she wore Mary Janes.
Patterns
- a pair of Mary Janes
She wore black Mary Janes with her school uniform.
The little girl twirled in her shiny red Mary Janes.
I found a vintage pair of Mary Janes at the market.
noununcountableslanginformalAmerican
A slang name for marijuana.
Grammar: Used without an article: they smelled Mary Jane.
The song is a playful reference to Mary Jane.
Some older people still say Mary Jane instead of marijuana.
Word forms
| plural | Mary Janes |
|---|
Common combinations
- patent leather Mary Janes
- She bought patent leather Mary Janes for the recital.
- a pair of Mary Janes
- He gave his daughter a pair of Mary Janes for her birthday.
- wear Mary Janes
- Many schoolgirls wear Mary Janes with white socks.
- Mary Jane heels
- Mary Jane heels are popular with party dresses.
- Mary Jane strap
- The shoe has a Mary Jane strap with a small buckle.
Synonyms and how they differ
- strap shoe
- Strap shoe is a general term for any shoe with a strap, while Mary Jane names a particular rounded, flat style.
- pump
- A pump is a plain slip-on shoe without a strap across the instep, so it is different in design.
- loafer
- A loafer is a slip-on casual shoe with no fastening, unlike a Mary Jane's strap.
Word family
- Mary Janes noun
- plural form for a pair of such shoes
Commonly confused: Mary Jane or ballet flat?
Mary Jane vs ballet flat
A ballet flat is a soft, strapless shoe, whereas a Mary Jane has a visible strap across the top of the foot.
Practice
In which sentence does Mary Jane mean a type of shoe?
Choose one answer.
Mary Janes are polished like shoes, so the second sentence fits. The other uses are about slang for marijuana or a personal name.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “Mary Jane”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.