joe
noun
joe
1 American
[joh]
/ dʒoʊ /
noun
Informal.
Joe
2
American
[joh]
/ dʒoʊ /
noun
-
Joes
plural
-
(sometimes lowercase) fellow; guy.
the average Joe who works for a living.
-
Informal. a personification of a typical, often unprepossessing representative of an occupation, personality trait, state of being, etc., that is expressed, sometimes metonymically, as a mock surname.
Joe Lunchbucket working hard at some factory and paying his taxes year after year; political con artists relying on the gullibility of Joe Schmo.
-
a male given name, form of Joseph.
Joe
British
/ dʒəʊ /
noun
-
a man or fellow
-
a GI; soldier
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of joe
First recorded in 1840–50; of uncertain origin
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.
See Examples For:
Staples at taverns across the state, Maid-Rites more closely resemble the sloppy joe of school lunchrooms: the ground-beef sandwiches are served on a soft bun and topped with mustard, pickles and raw onions.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
When it comes to making a fiber-rich cup of joe, plant-based milks are a great addition, says Nethra Rajendran, Beverage Experience Developer, Oatly North America.
From Salon ● Jan. 17, 2026
SAN FRANCISCO—Mayor Daniel Lurie strode into Alushe Coffee Bar and asked the surprised couple behind the counter for two things: a cup of joe and if they could say a few words into his iPhone.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 2, 2025
Sig’s baby was born 70 years ago this autumn, on Nov. 17, when he first demonstrated how it could alert any ordinary joe schmoe listening to the radio.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2024
For joe, the moment of epiphany came on the eighty-sixth floor of the new Empire State Building.
From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown
The race with Braun will test Gluesenkamp Perez against a more moderate opponent than she had in conservative former CIA officer Joe Kent, who ran against her in both her previous elections.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026
"Known for his uncompromising style of play and larger-than-life sense of humour, Joe has built a reputation as one of the UK's most entertaining sporting personalities," the corporation said.
From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026
Controversial podcaster Joe Rogan, 58, has been named the top-earning podcaster of 2026 by Forbes.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 5, 2026
“There is that thing about the leather jacket, where it carries so much more weight because he’s a musician and his dad’s one too,” said Green Day’s singer Billie Joe Armstrong.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026
But Baby Joe… I teared up at the thought.
From "Flying Through Water" by Mamle Wolo
And then we look at how regular Joes and Janes could invest in the assets the pros are avoiding using regular, low-cost exchange-traded funds.
From MarketWatch ● Mar. 13, 2026
"They are a bunch of guys that never quit. You can call them the Average Joes but I say they are the Above Average Joes."
From Barron's ● Oct. 12, 2025
That leaves average Joes at a growing risk of being impersonated online, with little recourse.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2025
In some of Simpson’s later ads, average Janes and Joes cheered him on as he ran, yelling, “Go, O.J., Go!”
From New York Times ● Apr. 11, 2024
Joes with on the floor of my mom’s hair salon.
From "Where Things Come Back" by John Corey Whaley
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.
