schmo

American  

[shmoh] / ʃmoʊ /

Also schmoe sometimes shmo

noun

Slang.

schmoes plural

1. a foolish, boring, or stupid person; a jerk.

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schmo British  

/ ʃməʊ /

noun

1. slang a dull, stupid, or boring person

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• schmoes
  plural

Etymology

Origin of schmo

An Americanism dating back to 1945–50; of obscure origin

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

schmo schmoes

Ed Sheeran wouldn’t let just any old schmo accompany him on “Thinking Out Loud” in front of 70,000 people, especially on an instrument they’ve only played for a few weeks.

From Salon ● Aug. 24, 2025

Now he’s just another schmo outside the 7-Eleven with stories to tell.

From Slate ● Nov. 23, 2024

“For joe schmo Twitter user, it really doesn’t matter,” Fisch said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 15, 2022

Anderson is a genius, he says, while he’s a schmo.

From The New Yorker ● Dec. 31, 2018

“Can you believe that schmo? He says that Aaron ran off, maybe freight-hopped to St. Louis or Cincinnati.”

From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros

The not-so-shocking revelation of the original “Squid Game” was that these poor schmoes were being toyed and done away with for the entertainment of the jaded rich.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 22, 2023

Judge has more sympathy with ordinary schmoes who just want to do a job they believe in for eight to 10 hours a day, then go home and play video games.

From The Verge ● Oct. 25, 2019

No, my dudes were just mildly overeducated schmoes of median height in moderately amusing picaresques.

From Slate ● Mar. 25, 2019

Instead of relying on schmoes to mock draft based on their hunches, a computer could learn how to draft based on data.

From Washington Post ● Apr. 28, 2016

But it is essential that they register as schmoes like us.

From New York Times ● Jan. 13, 2015