John Doe

noun

ˈjän-ˈdō 

1

: a party to legal proceedings whose true name is unknown

2

: an average man

Synonyms of John Doe

• Joe Blow
• little man
• man in the street
• little guy
• Joe Six-Pack
• worker

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

From Beth Lew-Williams’s Cundill Prize-Shortlisted John Doe Chinaman In the history of the Chinese in America, the border has caught our attention and held it. — Literary Hub, 9 Sep. 2026

John Doe, Seven The movie builds gradually to his first appearance. — Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly, 2 Sep. 2026

Court documents state that the two pulled out their weapons and held up John Doe #1 and John Doe #2. — Niya Doyle, PEOPLE, 21 Aug. 2026

The facility assigned the victim — identified as John Doe — to be Drotts’ client. — Rick Hurd, Mercury News, 28 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1593, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for John Doe

• beau
• beaut
• beaux
• blow
• bro
• coe
• crow
• doh
• dough
• eau
• eaux
• faux

Kids Definition

John Doe

noun

ˈjän-ˈdō 

: a person in legal proceedings whose true name is unknown or withheld

Legal Definition

John Doe

noun

ˈjän-ˈdō 

: a party to legal proceedings (as a suspect) whose true name is unknown or withheld compare jane roe, richard roe