Phrase guide

Jolly Roger

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˌdʒɒli ˈɹɒdʒə/
  • Received-Pronunciation: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • General-American: /ˌdʒɑli ˈɹɑdʒɚ/
  • General-American: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Australia: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

noun

Meaning 1

The traditional flag used on European and American pirate ships, and, more recently, by submarine crews, often pictured as a white skull and crossbones on a black field; the blackjack.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: black flag, Roger

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

a flag usually bearing a white skull and crossbones on a black background; indicates a pirate ship

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: black flag, pirate flag, blackjack

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: flag

History

Etymology

Possibly from jolly + Roger (“dialectal nickname for the Devil”).

Across languages

Translations

33 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: جولي روجر — traditional flag used on pirate ships
  • Armenian: Ուրախ Ռոջեր (Urax Ṙoǰer) — traditional flag used on pirate ships
  • Azerbaijani: Şən Rocer — traditional flag used on pirate ships
  • Bengali: জলি রজার (joli rojar) — traditional flag used on pirate ships
  • Bulgarian: Веселият Роджър (Veselijat Rodžǎr) — traditional flag used on pirate ships
  • Chinese Mandarin: 海盜旗 /海盗旗 (hǎidàoqí) — traditional flag used on pirate ships
  • Chuvash: Хаваслӑ Роджер (Havaslă Rodžer) — traditional flag used on pirate ships
  • Danish: sørøverflag — traditional flag used on pirate ships
  • Dutch: doodskopvlag — traditional flag used on pirate ships
  • Dutch: doodshoofdvlag — traditional flag used on pirate ships
  • Dutch: piratenvlag — traditional flag used on pirate ships
  • Finnish: merirosvolippu — traditional flag used on pirate ships
  • French: pavillon pirate — traditional flag used on pirate ships
  • French: pavillon noir — traditional flag used on pirate ships
  • German: Totenkopfflagge — traditional flag used on pirate ships
  • German: Totenkopffahne — traditional flag used on pirate ships
  • German: Piratenflagge — traditional flag used on pirate ships
  • Hebrew: דֶּגֶל שׁוֹדְדֵי יָם — traditional flag used on pirate ships
  • Indonesian: Jolly Roger — traditional flag used on pirate ships
  • Indonesian: bendera bajak laut — traditional flag used on pirate ships
  • Japanese: 海賊旗 — traditional flag used on pirate ships
  • Korean: 해적기 (haejeokgi) — traditional flag used on pirate ships
  • Lithuanian: Linksmasis Rodžeris — traditional flag used on pirate ships
  • Malayalam: ജോളി റോജർ (jōḷi ṟōjaṟ) — traditional flag used on pirate ships
  • Mazanderani: دریایی دزدون پرچم — traditional flag used on pirate ships
  • Norwegian: sjørøverflagg — traditional flag used on pirate ships
  • Norwegian: piratflagg — traditional flag used on pirate ships
  • Persian: پرچم دزدان دریایی — traditional flag used on pirate ships
  • Polish: bandera piratów — traditional flag used on pirate ships
  • Russian: Весёлый Роджер (Vesjólyj Rodžer) — traditional flag used on pirate ships
  • Silesian: piracko fana — traditional flag used on pirate ships
  • Spanish: bandera pirata — traditional flag used on pirate ships
  • Ukrainian: Веселий Роджер (Veselyj Rodžer) — traditional flag used on pirate ships