Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com

Locke, John

Cultural  
  1. A seventeenth-century English philosopher. Locke argued against the belief that human beings are born with certain ideas already in their minds. He claimed that, on the contrary, the mind is a tabula rasa (blank slate) until experience begins to “write” on it. In his political writings, Locke attacked the doctrine of the divine right of kings and argued that governments depend on the consent of the governed.


Discover More

Locke's political ideas were taken up by the American Founding Fathers; his influence is especially apparent in the Declaration of Independence.

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.

See Examples For:

Here is where Magna Carta is invoked, along with the works of writers like John Locke, John Stuart Mill, George Orwell and others.

From New York Times ● Jan. 29, 2022

Among his first recordings were collaborations with the countertenor Alfred Deller on music by Bach, Purcell, Matthew Locke, John Jenkins and Elizabethans.

From New York Times ● Jan. 18, 2012

Locke, John, his view of moral good and moral evil, i.

From History of European Morals From Augustus to Charlemagne (Vol. 2 of 2) by William Edward Hartpole Lecky

Such men as John Milton, John Locke, John Bunyan, and Shakespeare turned the thinking world toward better things in government and life.

From History of Human Society by Frank W. (Frank Wilson) Blackmar

Locke, John, on language as the barrier between man and brutes, quoted, 24. on universal ideas, quoted, 356. his opinion on the origin of language, 40.

From Lectures on The Science of Language by Max Müller

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

Get a word

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Just like flashcards, but way more fun

Don't take our word for it. Leave the boring studying behind and join VocabTrainer today. You'll learn even faster and never look back.

Take me to Vocabulary.com