1
: a party to legal proceedings whose true name is unknown
2
: an average man
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
With the help of investigative genetic genealogy, the Maricopa County Office of the Medical Examiner in Arizona was able to confirm that a John Doe, who had been unidentified for more than 20 years, was Thiellesen, according to the Ramapo College of New Jersey, which partnered in the investigation.
—
Sam Gillette, People.com, 22 Apr. 2025
Twisted Metal Season 2 Cast Anthony Mackie stars in Twisted Metal Season 2, reprising his role as John Doe.
—Ross Rosenfeld, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Apr. 2025
Brokers are still susceptible to an audit of their crypto sales, including via a John Doe Summons, which was widely used by the government with Coinbase, Kraken and other exchanges.
—Robert W. Wood, Forbes.com, 14 Apr. 2025
Those remains were unidentifiable and became known as John Doe.
—Veronica Fulton, NBC News, 23 Feb. 2025
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.
Sam Gillette, People.com, 22 Apr. 2025
Twisted Metal Season 2 Cast Anthony Mackie stars in Twisted Metal Season 2, reprising his role as John Doe.
—Ross Rosenfeld, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Apr. 2025
Brokers are still susceptible to an audit of their crypto sales, including via a John Doe Summons, which was widely used by the government with Coinbase, Kraken and other exchanges.
—Robert W. Wood, Forbes.com, 14 Apr. 2025
Those remains were unidentifiable and became known as John Doe.
—Veronica Fulton, NBC News, 23 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for John Doe
Cite this Entry
“John Doe.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/John%20Doe. Accessed 1 May. 2025.
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