John Q. Public
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of John Q. Public
An Americanism dating back to 1935–40
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It’s one thing to have John Q. Public, who reads and watches certain news outlets where you’ve appeared, mistake you for someone else.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 23, 2025
But to Jane and John Q. Public, to many of those outside the often confusing and impenetrable, opaque ring of the legal or criminal justice system, it’s merely code for “scram.”
From Washington Times ● Jul. 15, 2020
“How much of a responsibility does John Q. Public have when they see something that seems like a violation of the law, whether it’s violence or not?” he asked.
From Washington Post ● Dec. 23, 2019
They know as much as John Q. Public and a free society, you can allow this comment to be made, and as a citizen you can absorb it or dismiss it—it’s that simple.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 10, 2017
And because Mister John Q. Public contacts these ne'er-do-wells and romancers, he forms wrong estimates of the business.
From David Lannarck, Midget An Adventure Story by George S. Harney
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
