Joan
Americannoun
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Fair Maid of Kent, 1328–85, wife of Edward, the Black Prince, and mother of Richard II.
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a fictitious female pope about a.d. 855–858.
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a female given name.
noun
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known as the Fair Maid of Kent. 1328–85, wife of Edward the Black Prince; mother of Richard II
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Pope legendary female pope, first mentioned in the 13th century: said to have been elected while disguised as a man and to have died in childbirth
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.
But so much of American public discourse, over the last decade or so, has involved refusing to “observe the observable,” in Joan Didion’s famous phrase.
From Salon • Jun. 7, 2026
Other artworks sold at the Christie's auction included pieces by Mark Rothko and Joan Miro, which also both broke previous records for works by the artists at auction.
From BBC • May 19, 2026
I wasn’t expecting Joan Didion-level prose, but I wanted the words to sound like they came from me.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 19, 2026
Ph.D., professor of biomedical sciences at the Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine and lead author on the study.
From Science Daily • May 16, 2026
But unfortunately, unlike Saint Joan, I’ve yet to hear a voice tell me what I can do to help my suffering country.
From "Before We Were Free" by Julia Alvarez
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.
