hoagie

noun

hoa·​gie ˈhō-gē 

variants or less commonly hoagy

plural hoagies

US

: a large sandwich on a long split roll with any of a variety of fillings : a submarine sandwich (see submarine entry 2 sense 2)

A traveler from New Orleans, accustomed to ordering a poor boy for lunch, still must order a grinder in Upstate New York to get a sandwich on a long hard roll. In Boston it is called submarine, but in Philadelphia the sandwich is a hoagie…

—Ann Himmelberger Wald

Hoagie is the name given to the sandwich in Philadelphia. Hoagie is common throughout Pennsylvania and much of southern New Jersey.

—William Grimes

A steak hoagie was even better. The thin-sliced meat was tender, the bun soft and fresh, the provolone properly melted, all the innards in adequate helpings and the dressing unusually tasty …

—Pete Bishop

Synonyms

• Cuban sandwich
• grinder
• hero
• Italian sandwich
• po'boy
• poor boy
• sub
• submarine
• torpedo

Examples of hoagie in a Sentence

She had a meatball hoagie for lunch.

had a steak-and-cheese hoagie for the first time in Philadelphia

Recent Examples on the Web

She’s covered Philly’s dynamic food scene — reporting on stories about Mexican pizza, an urban cheesemaker, and a charcuterie trail — and recently won a National Magazine Award for contributing to a Philadelphia magazine feature about hoagies. —Regan Stephens, Peoplemag, 8 Apr. 2024

Chief among them is the new beef shawarma cheesesteak, served on an East Coast hoagie bun with cheese and fried onions. —Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Apr. 2024

Caprara Bakery in Southgate Among a slew of other lunch specials like hoagies, pizza slices and subs, Caprara Bakery at 13498 Northline Road offers rolls filled with pepperoni, cheese and sauce for just $3. —Detroit Free Press, 11 Mar. 2024

Mario’s This Cleveland Avenue college-kid favorite, which the owners of nearby Estelle opened in 2022, serves Sicilian-style deep-dish pies and the best hoagies in town. —Jess Fleming, Twin Cities, 8 Feb. 2024

Many customers couldn’t finish the serving, so the new menu introduces a smaller size cheesesteak and hoagie with a quarter pound of sliced ribeye. —Shannon Greene, Charlotte Observer, 12 Feb. 2024

The convenience chain—famous for its hoagies, beloved in New Jersey and Pennsylvania—entered the pizza arena this summer to absolutely blistering reviews. —Li Goldstein, Bon Appétit, 27 Oct. 2023

Try these with traditional or split-top hot dog buns, or hoagie rolls. —Southern Living Editors, Southern Living, 11 Oct. 2023

The café's menu will feature a hoagie that rotates weekly. —Michael Alberty | , oregonlive, 20 June 2023

Word History

Etymology

origin unknown

First Known Use

1943, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

hoagie

noun

hoa·​gie ˈhō-gē 

: submarine entry 2 sense 2