John Doe


noun
  1. an anonymous, average man.

  2. a fictitious name used in legal proceedings for a male party whose true name is not known.: Compare Jane Doe, Richard Roe.

  1. of or for an unknown person; using the name John Doe to stand for an unknown person: The judge issued a John Doe warrant so the police could arrest the culprit when they identified him.

  2. an unidentified man: The police were looking for a John Doe.

Words Nearby John Doe

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use John Doe in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for John Doe

John Doe

noun
  1. See Doe

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with John Doe

John Doe

Also, John Q. Public; Joe Blow; Joe Doakes; Joe Zilch. An average undistinguished man; also, the average citizen. For example, This television show is just right for a John Doe, or It's up to John Q. Public to go to the polls and vote. Originally used from the 13th century on legal documents as an alias to protect a witness, John Doe acquired the sense of “ordinary person” in the 1800s. The variants date from the 1900s. Also see Joe six-pack.

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.