# John Hancock

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/john-hancock
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

A person's signature.

## Examples

- Please put your John Hancock on this form.
- I need your John Hancock on this birthday card for our coworker.
- Wait, you forgot to put your John Hancock at the end of the letter.
- The manager asked the client to add their John Hancock to the bottom of the contract.
- The delivery driver handed me a digital tablet and asked for my John Hancock before leaving the package.
- You should read the entire apartment lease carefully before you provide your John Hancock to the landlord.
- The bank teller pointed to the small line on the check and told the customer that a John Hancock was required to finish the deposit.
- After reviewing the final terms of the agreement, the CEO finally added her John Hancock to the document, making the partnership official.

## Origin

Named after American merchant and statesman John Hancock (1737–1793), the first person to sign the United States Declaration of Independence. According to legend, he signed his name prominently to be sure George III could read it, causing his name to become an eponym for a signature. However, other examples show that Hancock always wrote his signature this way.

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