Johnny
noun
a familiar term of address for a man or boy.
Johnny
American
[jon-ee]
/ ˈdʒɒn i /
Or
Johnnie
noun
-
Johnnies
plural
-
(sometimes lowercase) a familiar term of address for a man or boy.
-
(sometimes lowercase) a short, collarless gown that is fastened in back and is worn by hospital patients, persons being examined in a doctor's office, etc.
-
(lowercase) toilet; bathroom.
-
a male given name, form of John.
johnny
British
/ ˈdʒɒnɪ /
noun
-
informal (often capital) a man or boy; chap
-
a slang word for condom
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of Johnny
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:
"There's an argument Gross is pound-for-pound the best value player in the Premier League over the last 10 years, especially when you look at his goal involvements," said BBC Radio Sussex commentor Johnny Cantor.
From BBC ● Oct. 10, 2026
But the weekly win went to his guest, legendary guitarist Johnny Marr, thanks to his exact score in the final game of that weekend, Fulham's 1-1 draw with Manchester United.
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026
Johnny Siman Tov’s and Mr. Bibas’s houses are both slated for demolition—unless they can be saved.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026
Arellano: You know that Jake Tapper knows the average age of the audience tuning in to the debate is 65 or older when he quoted Johnny Carson’s famous Burbank putdown.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
I thought the rumors were because of Johnny Cakes’s flair for fashion.
From Full of Beans by Jennifer L. Holm
Any day is a good time for a johnny cake, cornmeal flatbread topped with smoked whitefish and beads of salmon roe.
From Washington Post ● Aug. 28, 2017
Between procedures, I sit in a flimsy johnny in the waiting room, leafing through magazines.
From Salon ● Nov. 3, 2015
In Hollywood, where the dinner is $75 per person, dishes include: grilled whole lobster with saffron rice; rib-eye with Dungeness crab and béarnaise sauce; and johnny cakes with cured Arctic char and trout roe.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 16, 2014
Try me.” — johnny April 23, 2010 1:37 pm A few weeks ago, in Brooklyn Heights, I was trying to make a right turn but could not.
From New York Times ● Apr. 23, 2010
But our block has three johnny pumps and a guy with a wrench to turn them on.
From "Brown Girl Dreaming" by Jacqueline Woodson
The Johnnies were lucky to escape with this win.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 23, 2026
Locals referred to them as Johnnies, a nickname that carries unsavoury connotations.
From BBC ● Sep. 20, 2025
JOHN’S: Coach Rick Pitino has built the kind of buzz around the Johnnies that hasn’t been felt since the high-flying days of Lou Carnesecca.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 17, 2025
While the Johnnies had four fewer field goals, including seven fewer 3-pointers, they had a decided advantage on points off turnovers and fast-break points.
From Washington Times ● Dec. 7, 2019
“Thing I cannot understand. Thing I never will understand. How can they fight so hard, them Johnnies, and all for slavery?”
From "The Killer Angels: The Classic Novel of the Civil War" by Michael Shaara
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.
