American

1 of 2

noun

Amer·​i·​can ə-ˈmer-ə-kən  -ˈmər- 

-ˈme-rə-

plural Americans

1

: an Indigenous person of North America or South America

2

: a native or inhabitant of North America or South America

3

: a native or inhabitant of the U.S. : a U.S. citizen

4

: american english

American

2 of 2

adjective

1

: of or relating to America

American people

2

: of or relating to the U.S. or its possessions or original territory

American soldiers

American embassies

American states

American culture

Americanness

ə-ˈmer-ə-kə(n)-nəs 

-ˈmər-, 

-ˈme-rə-

noun

Examples of American in a Sentence

Noun

Americans in all 50 states.

The President's speech began with the words “My fellow Americans…”.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Fire officials are investigating the cause of the blaze, and the American Red Cross responded to assist the affected residents. —Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 21 Dec. 2025

Andrew Miller had 70 rushing yards and a touchdown on 22 carries for the Bisons (15-1, 11-0 Great American Conference), who are ranked second in the coaches' poll. —CBS News, 21 Dec. 2025

Out of 23,000 respondents to a survey of DNA service users, 3% discovered a parent was not actually their biological parent, and 5% found full or half-siblings, according to research from the Baylor College of Medicine published in the American Journal of Human Genetics in 2022. —David Oliver, USA Today, 21 Dec. 2025

While the majority of parents still prefer a four-year college education for their children, a new survey from American Student Assistance found that 35% believe some form of technical education or a blue-collar career may be better suited for their child. —Muskaan Arshad, Fortune, 21 Dec. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1568, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1580, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing American

• African American
• African American English
• African American Language
• African American Vernacular English
• Afro-American
• all-American
• American bison
• American chameleon
• American cheese
• American chestnut
• American chop suey
• American Civil Rights Movement
• American dog tick
• American dream
• American eel
• American elm
• American English
• American football
• American foxhound
• American goldfinch
• American Indian
• American mountain ash
• American paint horse
• American pit bull terrier
• American plan
• American Revised Version
• American robin
• American saddlebred
• American shad
• American shorthair
• American Sign Language
• American Staffordshire terrier
• American Standard Version
• American trotter
• American trypanosomiasis
• American War of Independence
• American water spaniel
• American way
• American wigeon
• Anglo-American
• anti-American
• (as) American as apple pie
• Asian American
• Central American
• Early American
• Euro-American
• European American
• Franco-American
• inter-American
• Italian American
• Jewish American Princess
• Latin-American
• Native American
• non-American
• Pan-American
• Spanish American
• the American dream
• the American League
• the American Revolution
• the American way
• Ugly American
• un-American

Kids Definition

American

1 of 2 noun

Amer·​i·​can ə-ˈmer-ə-kən 

1

: a person born or living in North America or South America

especially : a citizen of the U.S.

2

: the English language used in the U.S.

American

2 of 2 adjective

1

: of or relating to North or South America or their residents

American coastline

2

: of or relating to the U.S. or its citizens