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John Doe

 - 6 dictionary results

John Doe

 
Use John Doe in a Sentence
–noun
1. an anonymous, average man.
2. a fictitious name used in legal proceedings for a male party whose true name is not known. Compare Jane Doe, Richard Roe.
3. 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.
4. an unidentified man: The police were looking for a John Doe.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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John Doe  
n.  

  1. Used as a name in legal proceedings to designate an unknown or unidentified man or boy.

  2. An average or ordinary man.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Slang Dictionary
John Doe [ˈdʒɑn ˈdo]

  1. n.
    a name used for a person whose real name is unknown. : The tag on the corpse said Jane Doe, since no one had identified her., John Doe was the name at the bottom of the check.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Word Origin & History

John Doe 
fictitious plaintiff in a legal action, attested from 1768 (in Blackstone). The fictitious defendant was Richard Roe. By 1852, John Doe was being used for "any man whose name is not known." John Doe warrant attested from 1935. John Q. Public "average American citizen" is from 1937. In legal usage, John Doe replaced earlier John-a-nokes (1531), who usually was paired with John-a-stiles.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Legal Dictionary

Main Entry: John Doe
Pronunciation: 'jän-'dO
Function: noun
: a party to legal proceedings (as a suspect) whose true name is unknown or withheld —compare JANE ROE, RICHARD ROE
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Idioms & Phrases

John Doe

  1. 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.

  2. 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]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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