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

Adrienna Wong, a senior attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union, said Wednesday’s vote showed city leaders taking action on an issue that was personal to them. —Los Angeles Times, 7 May 2026

An earlier study, published in the American Economic Journal, found that field-office closures led to a sixteen-per-cent decline in disability recipients in the surrounding areas. —E. Tammy Kim, New Yorker, 7 May 2026

Adjective

In 1960, the Soviet Union shot down an American U-2 reconnaissance plane and captured its pilot, Francis Gary Powers. —Chicago Tribune, 1 May 2026

The American startup’s chatbots are banned in mainland China, and Goldman’s move suggests US AI firms could increasingly treat Hong Kong as off-limits as well, the Financial Times reported. —Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson, semafor.com, 30 Apr. 2026

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 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
• Latin-American
• Native American
• non-American
• North American
• Pan-American
• South 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