John Hancock

[ jon-han-kok ]

noun
  1. 1737–93, American statesman: first signer of the Declaration of Independence.

  2. Informal. a person's signature: Put your John Hancock on this check.

Origin of John Hancock

1
An Americanism dating back to 1840–50, so called from the boldness and legibility of John Hancock's signature

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

How to use John Hancock in a sentence

  • Casting the handle of a sugar basin for John Hancock, he seriously burns his right hand.

    Mr. Wicker's Window | Carley Dawson

British Dictionary definitions for John Hancock

John Hancock

noun
  1. US and Canadian informal a person's signature: put your John Hancock on this form Also called: John Henry

Origin of John Hancock

1
after John Hancock, from his clear and legible signature on the American Declaration of Independence

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

Cultural definitions for John Hancock

John Hancock

A signature: “Please help us out and put your John Hancock on our petition.” The expression refers to the bold signature that John Hancock wrote on the Declaration of Independence.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Other Idioms and Phrases with John Hancock

John Hancock

Also, John Henry. One's signature, as in Just put your John Hancock on the dotted line. This expression alludes to John Hancock's prominent signature on the Declaration of Independence. The variant simply substitutes a common name for “Hancock.” [Mid-1800s]

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