Meaning & use
John Hancock
Last updated
Meanings
proper nounproper
An American political leader who signed the Declaration of Independence in 1776 and was president of the Continental Congress.
Grammar: A person's name; takes no article.
Patterns
- John Hancock signed something
John Hancock was the first to sign the Declaration of Independence.
John Hancock later became governor of Massachusetts.
Students learn that John Hancock signed in large letters.
nouncountableinformalhumorous
A person's signature, used in casual American speech.
Grammar: Informal: put your John Hancock here.
Patterns
- put your John Hancock on something
Put your John Hancock at the bottom.
I need your John Hancock on this form.
He added his John Hancock to the card.
Word forms
| plural | John Hancocks |
|---|
Common combinations
- put your John Hancock
- Put your John Hancock here.
- need a John Hancock
- We need a John Hancock on the contract.
- give your John Hancock
- Give your John Hancock at the bottom.
- big John Hancock
- He wrote a big John Hancock.
Synonyms and how they differ
- signature
- Signature is the standard, neutral word, while John Hancock is playful.
- autograph
- Autograph is a famous person's signature for fans, not for documents.
- mark
- Mark is a plain sign, especially for someone who cannot write.
- initials
- Initials are only the first letters of names, shorter than a full signature.
Word family
Commonly confused: John Hancock or John Henry?
John Hancock vs John Henry
John Henry is a folk hero in American songs, not a signature.
Practice
The clerk said, 'I just need your John Hancock at the bottom.' What does he want?
Choose one answer.
John Hancock is a casual term for signature. The other options are unrelated.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “John Hancock”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.