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.

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sloppy joe British  

/ dʒəʊ /

noun

1. informal a long baggy thin sweater

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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

He turned me from a Sloppy Joe into a good technician.

From Time Magazine Archive

And besides, once I had my sad, soupy Sloppy Joe on the tray and looked out over the rest of the cafeteria, I realized it wasn’t just the basketball team divided up this way today.

From "All American Boys" by Jason Reynolds