Sloppy Joe

American  

Also sloppy joe or sloppy Joe

noun

1. a sandwich of ground beef cooked in a spicy tomato or barbecue sauce and usually served on a bun.

2. a baggy, overlarge sweater originally worn by girls and young women in the 1940s.

3. a man or youth whose appearance is habitually slovenly.

---

sloppy joe British  

/ dʒəʊ /

noun

1. informal a long baggy thin sweater

---

Etymology

Origin of Sloppy Joe

First recorded in 1935–40

Example Sentences

He ordered a Sloppy Joe and told me that a young Latino man, a former gang member, had spoken at the service.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 13, 2023

That’s why you’ll see dishes such as the Amritsari Keema, a mixture of ground beef and spices akin to an Asian Sloppy Joe, on the menu.

From Washington Post • Mar. 26, 2015

Sear occasionally gets out with friends to a local pub or one of the city’s many bistros, where “they can have a Sloppy Joe, and I can have flatbread and olives.”

From Seattle Times • Jun. 6, 2013

Coffee, tea, muffins and doughnuts for early shoppers, and hot dogs, Sloppy Joe sandwiches and more about noon.

From Washington Post

Red bits of Sloppy Joe dripped from the tines.

From "All American Boys" by Jason Reynolds