1
: a party to legal proceedings whose true name is unknown
2
: an average man
Synonyms
Examples of John Doe in a Sentence
to John Doe the most important issues in any election are usually those that affect his wallet
Recent Examples on the Web
An unnamed driver listed as John Doe in a separate accident report was killed at approximately 2:52 a.m.
—
Parker Mancino, arkansasonline.com, 22 Dec. 2024
Others recorded covers of Dunlap’s own songs for the nonprofit project Songs for Slim, including Lucinda Williams, Steve Earle, Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy, Pixies’ Frank Black, X’s John Doe, the Hold Steady’s Craig Finn, Soul Asylum, and more.
—Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 19 Dec. 2024
So Stanwyck and the paper find an actual man living life on the rails (Gary Cooper) to pose as John Doe, who quickly becomes overwhelmed by all the attention.
—James Mercadante, EW.com, 14 Dec. 2024
One of the men — all of whom are suing anonymously and are referred to only as John Doe — alleged in his suit that Combs and several of his associates from his Bad Boy Records label drugged and raped him during a 2020 party at Combs' house in East Hampton, New York.
—Charlotte Phillipp, People.com, 12 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for John Doe 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Parker Mancino, arkansasonline.com, 22 Dec. 2024
Others recorded covers of Dunlap’s own songs for the nonprofit project Songs for Slim, including Lucinda Williams, Steve Earle, Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy, Pixies’ Frank Black, X’s John Doe, the Hold Steady’s Craig Finn, Soul Asylum, and more.
—Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 19 Dec. 2024
So Stanwyck and the paper find an actual man living life on the rails (Gary Cooper) to pose as John Doe, who quickly becomes overwhelmed by all the attention.
—James Mercadante, EW.com, 14 Dec. 2024
One of the men — all of whom are suing anonymously and are referred to only as John Doe — alleged in his suit that Combs and several of his associates from his Bad Boy Records label drugged and raped him during a 2020 party at Combs' house in East Hampton, New York.
—Charlotte Phillipp, People.com, 12 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for John Doe
Dictionary Entries Near John Doe
Cite this Entry
“John Doe.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/John%20Doe. Accessed 31 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
John Doe
noun
: a person in legal proceedings whose true name is unknown or withheld
Legal Definition
John Doe
noun
: a party to legal proceedings (as a suspect) whose true name is unknown or withheld compare jane roe, richard roe
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share