Meanings
popeye1
plural popeyes · alternative pop-eye
- countableuncountablemedicineExophthalmia.
- countableuncountableCoryphaenoides cinereus (syn. Macrurus cinereus), a deep sea fish.
Popeye2
- A tough cartoon sailor, full name Popeye the Sailor, characterized by bulging forearm muscles, a squinty eye, and an affinity for spinach.
Choosing and prepping yeast Working the dough: You don't need Popeye arms.
2011, Danna Korn, Connie Sarros, Gluten-Free Cooking For Dummies, page 1222 more examples
They seem equipped to drag the building between them right down Pennsylvania Avenue, but their progress is arrested by two heroes of Popeye musculature, government men putting a check rein on willful industry.
1967, Television Magazine, volume 24, number 11, page 27Lenny gave him the Popeye squint as he rolled off to Frank, the other bodyguard on duty, who was standing on the other side of the stage behind the Epps camp.
1991, Anthony Bruno, Bad Luck, page 28 - A nickname for a person who has attributes of the cartoon character.
"Arf, arfl" It was a Popeye expression, which he used to express pleasure or enthusiasm.
2006, Alexander Fullerton, The Gatecrashers, page 602 more examples
The UPU faction, headed by Popeye Jackson, drew considerable numbers of members away from the Prisoners' Union when it split off in 1973, primarily taking with it the union's more radical convicts.
1994, Eric Cummins, The Rise and Fall of California's Radical Prison Movement, page 216FAN FAVORITE: С Popeye Jones (1988-92) Befitting his nickname, Ronald "Popeye" Jones never came up short in the effort department.
2009, ESPN, ESPN College Basketball Encyclopedia, page 99
Synonyms & antonyms
Origin
Popeye · proper noun
Fictional character name coined in 1929 by cartoonist Elzie Crisler Segar, presumably pop + eye.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic بَابَاي, بَبَّاي
- بَابَاي (bābāy)tough cartoon sailor
- بَبَّاي (babbāy)tough cartoon sailor
Dutch Popeye
- Popeyetough cartoon sailor
Finnish Kippari-Kalle
- Kippari-Kalletough cartoon sailor
Hebrew פופאי
- פופאי (popai)tough cartoon sailor
Italian Braccio di Ferro
- Braccio di Ferrotough cartoon sailor
Portuguese Popeye
- Popeyetough cartoon sailor
Swedish Karl-Alfred, Skeppar-Kalle
- Karl-Alfredtough cartoon sailor
- Skeppar-Kalletough cartoon sailor
Turkish Temel Reis
- Temel Reistough cartoon sailor
Cite this entry
popeye. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/popeye
“popeye.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/popeye. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “popeye,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/popeye.
Source: popeye on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.