JOHN

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does John mean? 

• JOHN (noun)
  The noun JOHN has 5 senses:

1. a room or building equipped with one or more toilets

2. youngest son of Henry II; King of England from 1199 to 1216; succeeded to the throne on the death of his brother Richard I; lost his French possessions; in 1215 John was compelled by the barons to sign the Magna Carta (1167-1216)

3. (New Testament) disciple of Jesus; traditionally said to be the author of the 4th Gospel and three epistles and the book of Revelation

4. a prostitute's customer

5. the last of the four Gospels in the New Testament

  Familiarity information: JOHN used as a noun is common.

 Dictionary entry details 

• JOHN (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A room or building equipped with one or more toilets

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

bathroom; can; john; lav; lavatory; privy; toilet

Hypernyms ("john" is a kind of...):

room (an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling)

Meronyms (parts of "john"):

can; commode; crapper; pot; potty; stool; throne; toilet (a plumbing fixture for defecation and urination)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "john"):

head ((nautical) a toilet on board a boat or ship)

comfort station; convenience; public convenience; public lavatory; public toilet; restroom; toilet facility; wash room (a toilet that is available to the public)

washroom (a lavatory (particularly a lavatory in a public place))

closet; loo; W.C.; water closet (a toilet in Britain)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Youngest son of Henry II; King of England from 1199 to 1216; succeeded to the throne on the death of his brother Richard I; lost his French possessions; in 1215 John was compelled by the barons to sign the Magna Carta (1167-1216)

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Synonyms:

John; John Lackland; King John

Instance hypernyms:

King of England; King of Great Britain (the sovereign ruler of England)

Holonyms ("John" is a member of...):

Plantagenet; Plantagenet line (the family name of a line of English kings that reigned from 1154 to 1485)

Sense 3

Meaning:

(New Testament) disciple of Jesus; traditionally said to be the author of the 4th Gospel and three epistles and the book of Revelation

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Synonyms:

John; John the Divine; John the Evangelist; Saint John; Saint John the Apostle; St. John; St. John the Apostle

Instance hypernyms:

Apostle ((New Testament) one of the original 12 disciples chosen by Christ to preach his gospel)

Evangelist ((when capitalized) any of the spiritual leaders who are assumed to be authors of the Gospels in the New Testament: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John)

saint (a person who has died and has been declared a saint by canonization)

Domain category:

New Testament (the collection of books of the Gospels, Acts of the Apostles, the Pauline and other epistles, and Revelation; composed soon after Christ's death; the second half of the Christian Bible)

Sense 4

Meaning:

A prostitute's customer

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Synonyms:

john; trick; whoremaster; whoremonger

Hypernyms ("john" is a kind of...):

client; customer (someone who pays for goods or services)

Sense 5

Meaning:

The last of the four Gospels in the New Testament

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Synonyms:

Gospel According to John; John

Instance hypernyms:

book (a major division of a long written composition)

evangel; Gospel; Gospels (the four books in the New Testament (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) that tell the story of Christ's life and teachings)

Holonyms ("John" is a part of...):

New Testament (the collection of books of the Gospels, Acts of the Apostles, the Pauline and other epistles, and Revelation; composed soon after Christ's death; the second half of the Christian Bible)

 Context examples 

John Thornton asked little of man or nature.

(The Call of the Wild, by Jack London)

And, my good friend John, let me caution you. You deal with the madmen.

(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)

You must send John with the young ladies, Mrs. Collins.

(Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen)

John Messner closed the door softly behind him, and, as he started the dogs, looked back at the cabin with a great relief in his face.

(Love of Life and Other Stories, by Jack London)

‘The Church of St. Monica, John,’ she cried, ‘and half a sovereign if you reach it in twenty minutes.’

(The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

From their sounds Lord John judged them to be some form of wild cattle.

(The Lost World, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

John is going home with you, as I can't.

(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)

Then I will fetch Leah, and wake John and his wife.

(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)

It is well for you, John, that your cousin is the wife of the Doctor.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

Beyond that again is the kingdom of Prester John and of the great Cham.

(The White Company, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)