jalopy
Americannoun
plural
jalopiesnoun
Etymology
Origin of jalopy
An Americanism dating back to 1925–30; origin uncertain
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.
But just because this old jalopy still runs doesn’t mean it’s worth taking for a spin.
From Salon • Jun. 30, 2025
It’s a horrible, hacking cough that sounds like the starter on an old jalopy.
From Washington Post • Jan. 28, 2022
She tapped “home” into the control console of her autopod — a jalopy, by modern standards — and pushed “execute.”
From Seattle Times • Dec. 13, 2020
He is pear-shaped and swaybacked, rumpled and shambling, his body as indifferently maintained as an old jalopy.
From New York Times • Dec. 3, 2020
The Joad family was poor and traveled from place to place in an old jalopy, looking for work.
From "Breaking Through" 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.
