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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

See Examples For:

john John johns

The story goes that when Gen. John Kelly, the White House chief of staff, called Tillerson to warn the tweet was coming, the secretary was on the john.

From Salon ● Apr. 23, 2026

The reveal was met with laughs, smiles, and a comment of "it's John's john".

From BBC ● Dec. 8, 2022

They also signed defensive back Buster Skrine and brought back outside linebacker john Simon.

From Seattle Times ● Nov. 23, 2021

No one felt like they had to follow McCain into the bathroom, and even if they had, he would’ve given a press conference from the john.

From Slate ● Oct. 9, 2021

Remember how dim it was in the john that day?

From "The Chocolate War" by Robert Cormier

And while that last claim is somewhat breathless and overblown, the story told by Mr. Kerbaj teems with spies and spy catchers who could have slithered off the pages of John le Carré.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 20, 2026

Priebus was fairly swiftly given the heave-ho in favor of retired Gen. John Kelly, who was serving as secretary of homeland security.

From Salon ● Sep. 20, 2026

The state’s outgoing U.S. senator, Republican John Cornyn, was also quick to denounce French.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 20, 2026

That came courtesy of a 1-0 win over Sunderland - John Hartson heading in the winner for Gordon Strachan's side in front of 20,946 fans at Highfield Road.

From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026

John bumped the 4x4 back onto the highway and stepped on the gas.

From "Storm Runners" by Roland Smith

Israeli organized crime figures and Latino gang members played cards with deep-pocketed square johns.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2025

This time period also brought the introduction of union suits—predecessors of long johns and onesies—to meet the needs of both men and women.

From National Geographic ● Jan. 9, 2024

“This is exactly the type of case that had it not been for the johns, it would probably just be handled locally.”

From Washington Times ● Nov. 11, 2023

Teams dress in layers — long johns, hats, gloves and hand warmers for the frigid overnight and morning hours.

From Seattle Times ● Oct. 4, 2023

Sheepishly, Harry sat down on a log, took off his boots, stripped down to a pair of white cotton long johns, and hobbled barefoot down a rocky trail toward Boulder Creek.

From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown

Related Words

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