# Johns

/ˈdʒɑnz/ (US) · /dʒˈɒnz/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/johns
Updated: 2026-08-15

## Senses

### 1. customers of a prostitute

noun · CEFR C2 · Slang · American English

men who pay for sex.

For teachers: a slang term for the clients of sex workers, typically used in a law enforcement or sociological context.

- The police were watching the street to catch any johns looking for trouble.
- The undercover operation was specifically designed to target the johns rather than the vulnerable individuals working on the street.

Usage: Usually used in the plural when referring to a group of customers.

Teaching tip: This is a very specific slang term often found in crime news or police dramas; it is not used in polite or formal conversation.

### 2. plural of the name John

noun · CEFR A2

more than one person named John.

For teachers: the plural form of the common masculine given name John.

- There are three Johns in my office, so we use their last names to tell them apart.
- The guest list was confusing because it contained four different Johns, all of whom were from the same department.

Usage: Capitalized as a proper noun.

## Examples

- He went to find the johns at the back of the restaurant.
- The stadium staff spent the morning cleaning the johns before the big game started.
- While the term is increasingly considered dated, you may still hear older residents refer to the public johns located near the park entrance.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.