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:
One roaster’s ride on the roller coaster of coffee pricing helps explain the many reasons consumers keep paying more for a cup of joe.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 30, 2026
Who wouldn’t be cranky about paying $6 for a dark roast cup of joe?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 13, 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
Their coffee remains “Black as hell, strong as death, sweet as love,” a Turkish proverb that also encompasses the die-hard attitude that so many folks have for their cup of joe.
From Salon ● Dec. 9, 2023
A few weeks later, they packed up the Franklin, picked up joe from the schoolhouse, drove to Seattle, and moved into the basement of Thula’s parents’ home on Alki Point.
From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown
This three-part documentary, directed by Matthew Galkin, is a tale of obsession and certainty, says Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Joe Sexton.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2026
One of the most prominent media industry analysts has called the figure “staggering,” as my colleague Joe Flint wrote back in July.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026
Florenz plans to exhibit about 40 coffins by acclaimed Ghanaian artists, including Kane Kwei and Paa Joe, at Pioneer Works beginning in June.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2026
Cyber Correspondent Joe Tidy looks at some of the scenarios being imagined and assesses how likely they are.
From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026
“This should work,” Joe said, waving it around like a sword.
From "A Monster of a Mystery (The Hardy Boys: Secret Files, #5)" by Franklin W. Dixon
"These are regular Joes, working-class people who are sent an email telling them their ticket's been suspended with no actual evidence. How do you defend something you don't know what you're defending against?"
From BBC ● Sep. 13, 2026
World Cup fans flock to In N Out, Erewhon and Trader Joes for a taste of Californian culture.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
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
“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.
