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 wholesome all-American

Examples of all-American in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Okorie earned all-ACC first-team honors and was an Associated Press all-American honorable mention. —Nathan Canilao, Mercury News, 9 Apr. 2026

The growing apathy toward big-screen entertainment was also owed to the patina of all-American wholesomeness that studios imposed on their stables of stars, and the nothing-to-see-here style of movie journalism was wearing thin. —Joshua John Miller, Vanity Fair, 9 Apr. 2026

Noun

But these unknown early writings suggest that he may be better understood as an immigrant writer—one of the gifted, ambivalent outsiders who remade American literature after World War II—whose most astonishing achievement was the all-American voice of On the Road and the books that came after. —Literary Hub, 24 Apr. 2026

Cassie is trying to become social-media famous, suggestively flashing her all-American assets online in a variety of fetishy costumes (a puppy dog, a pacifier-sucking baby). —Naomi Fry, New Yorker, 18 Apr. 2026

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