Meanings
proper noun
- idiomaticA hypothetical average or generic member of the public; the common man (or person, by extension).
Quoting Joe Public proved a dangerous game in the 2008 US presidential elections after he was personified in Joe 'the' Plumber, an actual plumber without previous media exposure.
Synonyms: Joe Average, John Q. Public
Synonyms & antonyms
proper nounA hypothetical average or generic member of the public; the common man (or person, by extension).
Similar
Translations
Dutch Jan Modaal, Jan met de pet
- Jan Modaala hypothetical average or generic member of the public
- Jan met de peta hypothetical average or generic member of the public
Finnish Pihtiputaan mummo
- Pihtiputaan mummoa hypothetical average or generic member of the public
French Tartempion
- Tartempiona hypothetical average or generic member of the public
German Ottonormalverbraucher, Otto Normalverbraucher
- Ottonormalverbrauchera hypothetical average or generic member of the public
- Otto Normalverbrauchera hypothetical average or generic member of the public
Italian Pinco Pallino
- Pinco Pallinoa hypothetical average or generic member of the public
Polish Jan Kowalski
- Jan Kowalskia hypothetical average or generic member of the public
Swedish medelsvensson
- medelsvenssona hypothetical average or generic member of the public
Cite this entry
APA
Joe Public. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Joe%20Public
MLA
“Joe Public.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Joe%20Public. Accessed November 4, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Joe Public,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Joe%20Public.
Source: Joe Public on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.