all-American

1 of 2

adjective

all-Amer·​i·​can ˌȯl-ə-ˈmer-ə-kən 

-ˈme-rə-

1

a

or less commonly all-America

ˌȯl-ə-ˈmer-ə-kə 

-ˈme-rə-

: 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

Davenport served for the match in the second set and had a championship point in the third, but Williams won an all-American classic 4-6, 7-6(4), 9-7, in two hours and 45 minutes. —Charlie Eccleshare, New York Times, 12 July 2025

An all-American and all-NEPSAC choice, McCullough also was a league champion in soccer along with being a Highest Academic Distinction student. —Matt Roy, Boston Herald, 11 July 2025

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

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1887, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun

1888, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for all-American

• american

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