jalopy
Americannoun
plural
jalopiesnoun
Etymology
Origin of jalopy
An Americanism dating back to 1925–30; origin uncertain
Explanation
A jalopy is an old car that isn't working very well. You'd never call a new, smooth-running car a jalopy. There are a lot of insulting words in English, mostly for people. This insult is for a car: a jalopy is a rundown, beat-up, falling apart car that needs to be replaced. You'll never see a car salesman say "Check out our selection of jalopies!" A jalopy might have been a great car at one point, but it has seen better days.
Vocabulary lists containing jalopy
Automobiles
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The Circuit
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Swing
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Many of us have experienced the insurance-rate sticker shock of upgrading from a beloved old jalopy to something newer and nicer.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 10, 2026
But they’ll get there—in the same way a young car-shopper starts with a beat-up old jalopy, he argued, eventually they’ll walk onto the lot in middle age looking for a pricey new Cadillac.
From Slate • May 25, 2025
When Richie wants to buy a used jalopy, Howard points to the Nelson boys of “Ozzie and Harriet”: “David and Ricky don’t have a car.”
From New York Times • Jan. 15, 2024
After all, the whole reason I drive a jalopy manufactured during George W. Bush’s presidency is to have an easier time paying for food.
From Salon • Nov. 4, 2023
As we approached our cabin, I knew no one was home because our Carcachita, our old jalopy, was not parked in front.
From "The Circuit: Stories from the Life of a Migrant Child" by Francisco Jiménez
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
