"John Doe" means: A fictitious name used chiefly in legal documents for an unknown or anonymous, usually male, person.. This is technical or formal vocabulary, more likely to appear in school work, news or a particular profession than in peer chat. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than risky behaviour. If your child uses the term, it is usually a sign of curiosity about a subject area. A short follow-up question about where they came across it is usually all that is needed.
John Doe
(United States) A fictitious name used chiefly in legal documents for an unknown or anonymous, usually male, person.
Definitions
(United States) A fictitious name used chiefly in legal documents for an unknown or anonymous, usually male, person.
"John Doe" means: A fictitious name used chiefly in legal documents for an unknown or anonymous, usually male, person.. This is technical or formal vocabulary, more likely to appear in school work, news or a particular profession than in peer chat. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than risky behaviour. If your child uses the term, it is usually a sign of curiosity about a subject area. A short follow-up question about where they came across it is usually all that is needed.
"John Doe" means: A fictitious name used chiefly in legal documents for an unknown or anonymous, usually male, person.. Register: formal or technical English, standard in its specialist domain (law, medicine, science, finance, etc.). Gloss the term with a plain synonym when writing for a general audience. A common non-native mistake is to use the word in the wrong register, or to assume one fixed meaning when it is actually polysemous; always check the surrounding register and the audience before producing it yourself. In formal writing, prefer a neutral synonym or a short descriptive phrase, and use this word only when you have heard or read it being used naturally in a comparable context.
Comments
(United States) Any unknown or anonymous, usually male, person.
Comments
For specific readers
Why is this section here?
Slang is read by different audiences for very different reasons. The For parents view re-explains the term in plain, non-judgemental language so a caregiver can understand what their child means without needing the surrounding subculture. The For English learners view focuses on register (when it's safe to use), formal alternatives, and common mistakes — what a textbook won't teach you.
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🗺️About Regional & Other slang
Regional slang from around the English-speaking world — British, Australian, Irish, Caribbean, Nigerian, Filipino, AAVE, and the hyphenated-English dialects that make the internet sound local.
See all Regional & Other slang on Slangora.
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- Joe Bloggs73%
(Australia) A fictitious name used in legal documents for an unknown or anonymous male person.
- Juan Doe73%
(US, law, police) A Latino male who is unknown, a John Doe of Latin descent.
- East Overshoe63%
A placeholder for a fictitious municipality in sample documents or hypothetical situations. (This usage is similar to the way John Doe is sometimes used as a placeholder for the name of a person.).
- Johnny Citizen62%
(US) A generic citizen.