Popeye

Cultural  

1. A tattooed, corncob pipe-smoking comic strip character created in the early twentieth century. Popeye the Sailorman is constantly called upon to save his girlfriend, Olive Oyl, from the schemes of the villainous Bluto. To gain the necessary strength, Popeye consumes a can of spinach.

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Though said to have been inspired by the marketing division of a spinach manufacturer, Popeye has proved enduringly popular, spawning adaptations for the radio, animated cartoons, and a motion picture.

Example Sentences

As New York cop Popeye Doyle in the 1971 film The French Connection, Gene Hackman's cemented his reputation as one of Hollywood's great tough guys.

From BBC • Dec. 31, 2025

The U.S. military used cloud seeding during the Vietnam War in a classified project called Operation Popeye, to try to gain an advantage by extending the monsoon season, according to the State Department.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 4, 2025

Many newspapers have long relied on such collaborations to fill out their pages, whether the syndication is war reports from the Associated Press or Popeye comic strips.

From Slate • May 21, 2025

Popeye first appeared as a peripheral character in January 1929 in E.C.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 31, 2024

Maybe we’ll end up being as strong as Popeye, though up to now I’ve seen no sign of it!

From "The Diary of a Young Girl" by Anne Frank