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:
The boogeyman at the center of all this calmly poured a cup of joe for a recent visitor to his shop, which sits below his family’s cabin outside Petersburg.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 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
I get palpitations just thinking about drinking four entire cups of joe, but of course, coffee isn't the only source of caffeine.
From Salon ● Jan. 7, 2024
“Keep your eyes peeled. You never know when one is going to fall. The only time you don’t see them is when you stop watching for them.” joe missed that, something terrible.
From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown
Cyber Correspondent Joe Tidy looks at some of the scenarios being imagined and assesses how likely they are.
From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026
“If you’re the average American household, you’re probably wondering, ‘What did I do to deserve this?’” said Joe Brusuelas, chief economist at RSM.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
Joe Burrow is an excellent passer, and Cincinnati’s defense looks improved.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2026
The suit names Paxton and Stephen Brint Carlton, the executive director of the Texas Medical Board, in their official and individual capacities, as well as Bexar County District Attorney Joe Gonzales in his official capacity.
From Salon ● Sep. 17, 2026
James and I sprang apart as Joe barreled out with a hammer and a handful of nails.
From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu
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
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
Known as the "front row Joes" these are people that regularly turn up to the Republican's rallies.
From BBC ● Jun. 2, 2023
“The rest, eh, Pip?” said Joe, looking at it with a slow, searching eye, “One, two, three. Why, here’s three Js, and three Os, and three J-O, Joes in it, Pip!”
From "Great Expectations" by Charles Dickens
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.
