Uncle Sam

noun

Un·​cle Sam ˌəŋ-kəl-ˈsam 

1

: the U.S. government

2

: the American nation or people

Examples of Uncle Sam in a Sentence

Uncle Sam wants you to join the Army!

Recent Examples on the Web

With America hitting China hard with tariffs, and China having the ability to nudge Uncle Sam’s borrowing costs higher by selling its Treasury hoard, its pivot to gold makes perfect sense. —Brett Owens, Forbes.com, 1 May 2025

Quartz’s Kevin Williams has more on how Uncle Sam is trying to clear Google’s cache. —Quartz Staff, Quartz, 17 Apr. 2025

That may be why almost three out of four filers nationally overpay Uncle Sam and collect a refund the following spring, according to 2022 IRS data, the most recent year available, crunched by Upgraded Points, a travel and financial research company. —Jovi Dai, Mercury News, 15 Apr. 2025

The bottom line: Uncle Sam's collection hat ruined the dream. —Jason Clayworth, Axios, 14 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

expansion of U.S., abbreviation of United States

First Known Use

1810, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for Uncle Sam

• abraham
• anagram
• cablegram
• cofferdam
• dendrogram
• diagram
• diaphragm
• epigram
• hexagram
• histogram
• hologram
• instagram

Kids Definition

Uncle Sam

noun

Un·​cle Sam ˌəŋ-kəl-ˈsam 

1

: the U.S. government thought of or represented as a person

2

: the American nation or people