Afro-American

noun

Af·​ro-Amer·​i·​can ˌa-frō-ə-ˈmer-ə-kən 

-ˈme-rə-

plural Afro-Americans

: an American of African and especially of Black African descent

There has never been a solid, unified and determined thrust to make justice a reality for Afro-Americans.

—Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

often, specifically : a direct descendant of Africans who were enslaved in the U.S. or in any area that became part of the U.S. : african american

Afro-American adjective

Examples of Afro-American in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Carl Murphy, publisher of the Baltimore Afro-American likewise celebrated Mazyck’s work. — John Garrison Marks, Time, 7 Apr. 2026

All one needs to do is scan through copies of the Baltimore Afro-American, the weekly Black newspaper of record at the time, to understand. — Jeff Pearlman, Rolling Stone, 17 Oct. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1831, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for Afro-American

• american

Kids Definition

Afro-American

noun

Af·​ro-Amer·​i·​can

ˌaf-rō-ə-ˈmer-ə-kən

: African American

Afro-American adjective