John Doe

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See synonyms for John Doe on Thesaurus.com

noun

an anonymous, average man.

a fictitious name used in legal proceedings for a male party whose true name is not known.Compare Jane Doe, Richard Roe.

of or for an unknown person; using the name John Doe to stand for an unknown person: The judge issued a John Doe warrant so the police could arrest the culprit when they identified him.

an unidentified man: The police were looking for a John Doe.

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Words nearby John Doe

John Birch Society, johnboat, John Brown's Body, John Bull, John Chrysostom, John Doe, John Doe, Jane Doe, John Dory, Johne's disease, John F. Kennedy International Airport, John Hancock

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use John Doe in a sentence

The second John Doe, whom Kelly met when he was 16 or 17, was also allegedly forced to have filmed sex with the singer and several of his girlfriends.
R. Kelly Convicted of Running Mafia-Style Sex Crime Scheme|Pilar Melendez|September 27, 2021|The Daily Beast
The second John Doe, who Kelly met when the individual was 16 or 17, was also allegedly forced to have filmed sex with the singer and several of his girlfriends.
R. Kelly Went on Wild Rant About Stigma Over Sex With Teens, Witness Says|Pilar Melendez|August 26, 2021|The Daily Beast
A few years back, designer John Galliano was fined by the government for sharing just such anti-semitic sentiments in public.
Politicians Only Love Journalists When They're Dead|Luke O’Neil|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
NEW ORLEANS — John Boehner was reelected House Speaker yesterday by his Republican colleagues despite some dissenting members.
The Price of Steve Scalise’s Silence|Jason Berry|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST

And similar shards of enthusiasm-killing kryptonite are lodged in John Kasich, Mike Pence and Ted Cruz.
Why This Liberal Hearts Huckabee|Sally Kohn|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
As it currently stands, the Via Dolorosa follows the account given in the Gospel of John.
Oops! Jesus’ Last Steps Are in the Wrong Place|Candida Moss|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
By contrast, John McCain, the eventual GOP nominee, had raised approximately $12.7 million in the first quarter of 2007 alone.
Can Huckabee Convert the GOP’s Moneymen?|Lloyd Green|January 4, 2015|DAILY BEAST
After all, may not even John Burns be human; may not Mr. Chamberlain himself have a heart that can feel for another?
God and my Neighbour|Robert Blatchford
Hamo in alluding to the early cultivation of tobacco by the colony, says, that John Rolfe was the pioneer tobacco planter.
Tobacco; Its History, Varieties, Culture, Manufacture and Commerce|E. R. Billings.
John Wilson, a celebrated landscape and marine painter, died at Folkstone, aged 81.
The Every Day Book of History and Chronology|Joel Munsell
John Thornton Kirkland, president of Harvard university, died, aged 70.
The Every Day Book of History and Chronology|Joel Munsell
John was baptizing at a large pool called Ænon-by-Saleim,—probably allegorical, meaning “Fountain of Repose.”
Solomon and Solomonic Literature|Moncure Daniel Conway

British Dictionary definitions for John Doe

John Doe

noun

See Doe

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

Other Idioms and Phrases with John Doe

John Doe

Also, John Q. Public; Joe Blow; Joe Doakes; Joe Zilch. An average undistinguished man; also, the average citizen. For example, This television show is just right for a John Doe, or It's up to John Q. Public to go to the polls and vote. Originally used from the 13th century on legal documents as an alias to protect a witness, John Doe acquired the sense of “ordinary person” in the 1800s. The variants date from the 1900s. Also see Joe six-pack.

Also, Jane Doe. An unknown individual, as in The police found a John Doe lying on the street last night, or The judge issued a warrant for the arrest of the perpetrators, Jane Doe no. 1 and Jane Doe no. 2. [Second half of 1900s]