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• john
  john

  noun

  a toilet or bathroom.
• John
  John

  noun

  the apostle John, believed to be the author of the fourth Gospel, three Epistles, and the book of Revelation.

john

¹ American  

[jon] / dʒɒn /

noun

Slang.

johns plural

1. a toilet or bathroom.

2. (sometimes initial capital letter) a fellow; guy.

3. (sometimes initial capital letter) a prostitute's customer.

4. Also called john mule.  a male mule, or more properly a gelded mule.

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John ² American  

[jon] / dʒɒn /

noun

1. the apostle John, believed to be the author of the fourth Gospel, three Epistles, and the book of Revelation.

2. John the Baptist.

3. John Lackland, 1167?–1216, king of England 1199–1216; signer of the Magna Carta 1215 (son of Henry II of England).

4. Augustus Edwin, 1878–1961, British painter and etcher.

5. Elton Reginald Kenneth Dwight, born 1947, English rock singer, pianist, and songwriter.

6. the fourth Gospel.

7. any of the three Epistles of John: 1, 2, or 3 John.

8. a male given name.

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John ¹ British  

/ dʒɒn /

noun

1. New Testament

   1. the apostle John, the son of Zebedee, identified with the author of the fourth Gospel, three epistles, and the book of Revelation. Feast day: Dec 27 or Sept 26

   2. the fourth Gospel

   3. any of three epistles (in full The First, Second, and Third Epistles of John )

2. See John the Baptist

3. known as John Lackland. 1167–1216, king of England (1199–1216); son of Henry II. He succeeded to the throne on the death of his brother Richard I, having previously tried to usurp the throne. War with France led to the loss of most of his French possessions. After his refusal to recognize Stephen Langton as archbishop of Canterbury an interdict was imposed on England (1208–14). In 1215 he was compelled by the barons to grant the Magna Carta

4. called the Fearless . 1371–1419, duke of Burgundy (1404–19). His attempt to control the mad king Charles VI and his murder of the king's brother led to civil war: assassinated

5. Augustus ( Edwin ). 1878–1961, British painter, esp of portraits

6. Barry born 1945, Welsh Rugby Union footballer: halfback for Wales (1966–72) and the British Lions (1968–71)

7. Sir Elton ( Hercules ). original name Reginald Dwight. born 1947, British rock pianist, composer, and singer; his hits include "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" (1973) and "Candle in the Wind 1997" (1997), a tribute to Diana, Princess of Wales

8. Gwen , sister of Augustus John. 1876–1939, British painter, working in France: noted esp for her portraits of women

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john ² British  

/ dʒɒn /

noun

1. a slang word for lavatory

2. slang a prostitute's client

3. slang short for John Hop

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• johns
  plural

Etymology

Origin of john¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English Johan, Iohan, John; generic use of the proper name

Origin of John²

Middle English Johan, John, Jon, from Medieval Latin Jō(h)annēs, from Greek Iōánnēs, from Hebrew Yôkhānān, contracted from Yĕhôkhānān “God has been gracious”; cf. Anna ( def. ), Yahweh ( def. )

Example Sentences

When John McGinn scored Scotland's first men's World Cup goal in 28 years in the 1-0 win over Haiti, the Aston Villa midfielder celebrated in customary fashion.

From BBC • Jun. 18, 2026

John Long, an Australian paleontologist who has also done extensive research in this field, called the study "quite outstanding."

From Barron's • Jun. 18, 2026

When Little John struggles to describe his dream girl, Robin instructs his protegee to sketch an image with words.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 18, 2026

For this week’s Slate Plus bonus episode, Emily, John, and David discuss today’s narrow Supreme Court ruling in the case of United States v.

From Slate • Jun. 18, 2026

John felt the side of his head where it had bounced off the window.

From "Storm Runners" by Roland Smith

Related Words

• latrine
• lavatory
• men's room
• outhouse
• toilet
• urinal