Dear John

noun

, Informal.

1. a letter from a woman informing her boyfriend or fiancé that she is ending their relationship or informing her husband that she wants a divorce:

   Nothing is worse for a soldier's morale than getting a Dear John.

2. any letter terminating a relationship.

Word History and Origins

Origin of Dear John¹

First recorded in 1940–45

Example Sentences

This one differs from something like, “The Notebook,” or “Message in a Bottle,” or “Dear John,” in that there's actually two stories going on.

From Salon

Swift doesn’t portray herself precisely as a victim as she did in old tunes such as “Dear John” or “All Too Well,” to name two of her masterpieces about unscrupulous men; nor is there anything dewy-eyed about “The Alchemy,” which likens falling for a new guy to a chemical imbalance.

From Los Angeles Times

“I accept it for all editors who toil in the darkness of an editing room ... to create a unique, believable world born to the imagination. And most of all, I want to thank John, my dear John.”

From Los Angeles Times

But not long after Mr. Angeloni opened his account, he got his own Dear John letter.

From New York Times

Supporters of the kakariki karaka - a green parakeet - put up billboards reading: "Dear John, don't disrupt the pecking order".

From BBC