-
- To save this word, you'll need to log in.
: a woman who is a party to legal proceedings and whose true name is unknown or withheld : jane doe
Feuer said the homeless woman, identified in the suit as Jane Roe to protect her privacy, had medical insurance and a primary care provider.—Gale Holland
Examples of Jane Roe in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Thornton is the daughter of Norma McCorvey, the woman originally identified in court documents by the pseudonym Jane Roe.
—Scott Stump, NBC News, 9 Sep. 2021
According to the lawsuit, John met a female freshman student, identified in the lawsuit as Jane Roe, at a Halloween party on Oct. 31, 2020.
—Carol Robinson | Crobinson@al.com, al, 29 June 2021
The Nebraska inmate, a 22-year-old identified in court documents as Jane Roe, started serving a 26-month sentence at the Nebraska Correctional Center for Women outside Lincoln, Neb., on Feb. 18.
—Washington Post, 15 Apr. 2021
The 22-year-old inmate, identified in the lawsuit as Jane Roe, was 15 weeks and 6 days pregnant as of Monday.
—Grant Schulte, Star Tribune, 12 Apr. 2021
At least six have sued for damages, in each case using aliases such as Jane Roe and Jane Doe to shield their identities.
—Don Stacom, Hartford Courant, 29 Sep. 2022
Norma McCorvey, the Jane Roe at the center of Roe v. Wade, was an imperfect plaintiff.
—New York Times, 6 July 2022
In a speech attended by Democratic officials, candidates and Linda Coffee, one of the attorneys who represented Jane Roe, Davis cajoled her colleagues to continue fighting for the sake of young people turned off by Democratic inaction.
—Ufon Umanah, Dallas News, 4 July 2022
The case was brought on by an anonymous plaintiff, a woman named Norma McCorvey, better known in court documents as Jane Roe.
—Gloria Allred, Variety, 29 June 2022
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'Jane Roe.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1788, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near Jane Roe
Cite this Entry
“Jane Roe.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Jane%20Roe. Accessed 23 May. 2024.
Kids Definition
Jane Roe
noun-ˈrō
: a woman who is a party to legal proceedings and whose true name is unknown or withheld
Legal Definition
Jane Roe
nounˈjān-ˈrō
: a female party to a legal proceeding whose true identity is unknown or whose true name is being withheld compare john doe, richard roe
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share