American

1 of 2

noun

Amer·​i·​can ə-ˈmer-ə-kən  -ˈmər- 

-ˈme-rə-

1

: an American Indian 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

Organizations like the American Red Cross, YMCA, and some municipalities offer low- or no-cost swimming lessons. —Phaedra Trethan, USA Today, 20 May 2025

About 1 in 8 men will be diagnosed over their lifetime with prostate cancer, according to the American Cancer Society. —Carla K. Johnson, Los Angeles Times, 19 May 2025

Adjective

The new company hopes to help executives and companies tell their stories through video and it was recently founded by Robert Wheeler, most recently the chief marketing officer for the North American operations of WPP’s large GroupM media-buying division. —Brian Steinberg, Variety, 20 May 2025

From there, the guitar landed in the hands of American singer and songwriter Delaney Bramlett in 1970. —Nicole Hoey, Robb Report, 20 May 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
• 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