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

Mexican American Brian Gutiérrez brings freshness and dynamism to the midfield, alongside Erik Lira’s energy. —Eduard Cauich, Los Angeles Times, 11 June 2026

The trickle-down effect on travel costs has been noticeable, and a warning from the American Hotel & Lodging Association indicates that demand for hotel rooms is far below expectations. —Kyle Feldscher, CNN Money, 11 June 2026

Adjective

American strikes destroyed what appears to be drinking water infrastructureon Iran’s southern coast early Wednesday, according to videos and pictures shared by Iranian media and geolocated by NBC News. —Sarah Dean, NBC news, 12 June 2026

Amasa, a Latin American steakhouse; Bar Amasa, the upstairs taqueria; and Bar Rocco, an Italian restaurant that also serves an elegant brunch, helmed by celebrity chef Rocco DiSpirito. —Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 11 June 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