Tom, Dick, and Harry

American  

noun

1. the ordinary person; people generally; everyone.

   They invited every Tom, Dick, and Harry to the party.

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Tom, Dick, and Harry British  

noun

1. an ordinary, undistinguished, or common person (esp in the phrases every Tom, Dick, and Harry; any Tom, Dick, or Harry )

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Tom, Dick, and Harry Cultural  

1. A phrase referring to randomly chosen people: “I asked you to keep my plans secret, but you've told them to every Tom, Dick, and Harry.”

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Etymology

Origin of Tom, Dick, and Harry

First recorded in 1805–15

Example Sentences

Sitters included many a Tom, Dick and Harry, as well as Burgess Meredith, who played Harry in the 1941 film “Tom, Dick and Harry.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026

“It was like every Tom, Dick and Harry was encouraged to voice their opinions about what they thought I should do,” Levesque writes.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 12, 2024

“How can you allow every Tom, Dick and Harry to dabble with farmer produce?” said Sukhpal Singh, an agricultural economist at the Indian Institute of Management in Ahmedabad.

From Washington Post • Dec. 4, 2020

The price of basic materials shot up as “every Tom, Dick and Harry became an essential provider,” Pillay said.

From Seattle Times • Oct. 4, 2020

Tom, Dick, and Harry there, wanting to know about his venture.

From "Carry On, Mr. Bowditch" by Jean Lee Latham