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Johnny

American  
[jon-ee] / ˈdʒɒn i /
Or Johnnie

noun

plural

Johnnies

  1. (sometimes lowercase) a familiar term of address for a man or boy.

  2. (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.

  3. (lowercase) toilet; bathroom.

  4. a male given name, form of John.

johnny British  
/ ˈdʒɒnɪ /

noun

  1. informal (often capital) a man or boy; chap

  2. a slang word for condom

"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

Etymology

Origin of Johnny

First recorded in 1665–75; John + -y 2

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.

She is making music in her spare time and is writing virtually with her friend Johnny, back home in Bedford.

From BBC • Apr. 4, 2026

"Numerous employees have reported to me that their bank accounts are at zero or negative," Johnny Jones, a Dallas-based official in the government workers' union AFGE, told USA Today.

From Barron's • Mar. 21, 2026

Ehrlich’s knack for being not only wrong but 180 degrees in error cost him neither popularity—he appeared on “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson” more than a dozen times—nor prestige in academia.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 17, 2026

UCF is coached by former Duke star Johnny Dawkins.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 15, 2026

When Ty and Johnny saw me spending time with Annie, they must have figured I didn’t want to spend time with them anymore.

From "The Million Dollar Shot" by Dan Gutman

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.