all-American

1 of 2

adjective

all-Amer·​i·​can ˌȯl-ə-ˈmer-ə-kən How to pronounce all-American (audio)
-ˈme-rə-
1
a
or less commonly all-America : selected (as by a poll of journalists) as one of the best in the U.S. in a particular category at a particular time
an all-American quarterback
b
: having only all-American participants
an all-American basketball team
2
: composed wholly of American elements
3
: representative or typical of the U.S. or its ideals
an all-American boy
her all-American optimism
4
: of or relating to the American nations as a group

all-American

2 of 2

noun

1
or less commonly all-America : one (such as an athlete) that is voted all-American
2
: one that has all-American qualities or characteristics
a clean-cut all-American

Examples of all-American in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
Willy Chavarria borrowed its plaids and houndstooths and juxtaposed them against nods to Western and Chicano all-American fashion. José Criales-Unzueta, Vogue, 16 Feb. 2024 The truth behind Kitty’s ascent to stardom from her beginnings in the segregated South threatens to expose a web of unexpected family ties, debts owed, and debatable crimes that could, with one pull, unravel the all-American fabric of the St. John sisters and those closest to them. Sarah Yang, Sunset Magazine, 7 Feb. 2024 At 150, Laird Root is an all-American ranked No. 8 in the country. Bryce Miller, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 Feb. 2024 The filmmaker’s friend, onetime student and documentary subject is also a captivating leading man, and his absence from most of the final sequence of Bushman, after expressing, with a laugh, that all-American need for a burger, is an aching void. Sheri Linden, The Hollywood Reporter, 31 Jan. 2024 Calvin Klein has always trafficked in high and low — in classic all-American athleticism, shot through with an untethered primal lust. Soraya Roberts, New York Times, 20 Jan. 2024 For example, the all-American club sandwich at Subway will net you 530 calories and 10 grams of saturated fat. Sarah Garone, Health, 18 Jan. 2024 Cage, an all-American in 1984 who had a long NBA career, remains the school’s all-time leading rebounder and ranks second in points behind Brandon Health. Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Jan. 2024 The all-American wildness pays off — the apple is a success. Mark Athitakis, Los Angeles Times, 19 Dec. 2023
Noun
Cole recalled this time as a stab at conventional all-American life – at least on the surface. oregonlive, 23 Mar. 2023 As in David Lynch’s Blue Velvet (1986), a young man descends into a twilight zone behind an explicitly all-American façade. Ed Park, The New York Review of Books, 14 Mar. 2023 Helen Hayes Award nominee Lauren Weinberg brings all the va-va-voom to vixen Lola and newcomer Jeffrey Keller is a star in the making as all-American Joe Hardy. Sun Sentinel, 10 Mar. 2023 These include balconies, roof decks, and the all-American picket fence. Kristine Gill, Better Homes & Gardens, 9 Mar. 2023 Buick invented the all-American GT coupe, and Americans loved it. Don Sherman, Car and Driver, 8 Mar. 2023 Tampa, Florida – The beloved Cuban sandwich is a delicious all-American culinary creation first served in Tampa, Florida, more than a century ago, according to proud local lore. Fox News, 28 Feb. 2023 There's no greater all-American road trip than one that travels along iconic Route 66—also known as U.S. Highway 66, the Mother Road (courtesy of John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath), or the Main Street of America. Stefanie Waldek, Country Living, 24 Feb. 2023 Maxim Shmakov While Ali frames her stressors as common to the immigrant experience, there’s something very all-American, and generationally specific, about the chasm between what we were promised and what is happening around us in real-time. Nina St. Pierre, ELLE, 17 Feb. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'all-American.' 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

Adjective

1887, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun

1888, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of all-American was in 1887

Dictionary Entries Near all-American

Cite this Entry

“All-American.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/all-American. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

all-American

adjective
all-Amer·​i·​can
ˌȯ-lə-ˈmer-ə-kən
1
: representing or typical of the U.S. or its ideals
an all-American boy
2
: selected as the best in the U.S.
the all-American football team
all-American noun
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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