jalopy

[ juh-lop-ee ]

/ dʒəˈlɒp i /

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noun, plural ja·lop·ies.Informal.

an old, decrepit, or unpretentious automobile.

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Origin of jalopy

An Americanism dating back to 1925–30; origin uncertain

Words nearby jalopy

Jalapa, jalapeño, jalapin, jalee, Jalisco, jalopy, jalor, jalouse, jalousie, jam, JAMA

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use jalopy in a sentence

His cause, like a rusty old jalopy, is falling apart before he turned the key.
How the Tide Turned on Gay Marriage|Michael Signer|June 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And yet, not only has the McConnell machine failed to shift into higher gear, it has sputtered worse than a beat-up jalopy.
Is Mitch McConnell Trying to Lose?|Jonathan Miller|March 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Whether centrist voters are buying the rhetorical jalopy Mitt Romney is trying to sell them will be key here.
Michael Tomasky on Obama’s Swing-Voter Victory|Michael Tomasky|June 30, 2012|DAILY BEAST
It looked something like a cross between a schoolboy's jalopy and a scaled-down army tank of former times.
Badge of Infamy|Lester del Rey

Then they hit the thruway—nine of them packed into the jalopy—the oldest one just seventeen years old.
Code Three|Rick Raphael
Did you own what we used to call in my day an old jalopy while you were still in Fort Worth?
Warren Commission (11 of 26): Hearings Vol. XI (of 15)|The President's Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy
That picture of that automobile there was quite an old jalopy, sir.
Warren Commission (11 of 26): Hearings Vol. XI (of 15)|The President's Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy

British Dictionary definitions for jalopy

jalopy

jaloppy

/ (dʒəˈlɒpɪ) /

noun plural -lopies or -loppies

informal a dilapidated old car

Word Origin for jalopy

C20: of unknown origin

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

jalopy

Origin of jalopy

Words nearby jalopy

Words related to jalopy

How to use jalopy in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for jalopy

jaloppy

Word Origin for jalopy