1
a
: a native or inhabitant of Germany
b
: a person of German descent
c
: one whose native language is German and who is a native of a country other than Germany
2
a
: the Germanic language spoken mainly in Germany, Austria, and parts of Switzerland
b
: the literary and official language of Germany
3
: a member of any of the Germanic peoples inhabiting western Europe in Roman times
4
often not capitalized
a
: a dance consisting of intricate figures that are improvised and intermingled with waltzes
b
chiefly Midland US
: a dancing party
specifically
: one at which the german is danced
: of, relating to, or characteristic of Germany, the Germans, or German
ger·man
ˈjər-mən 
: having the same parents or the same grandparents on either the maternal or paternal side
—usually used after the noun which it modifies and joined to it by a hyphen
brother-german
cousin-german
obsolete
: a near relative
Examples of German in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 7 July 2025
Anderson will be on the German National Team for the 2028 Olympics.
—Tobias Bass, New York Times, 7 July 2025
The Rockies’ extensions for Kyle Freeland ($12.9 million AAV), Ryan McMahon ($11.7 million AAV), Antonio Senzatela ($10.1 million AAV), and German Marquez ($10 million AAV) haven’t aged well.
—Troy Renck, Denver Post, 7 July 2025
Surely, a determined Indiana student who wants to attend his or her state university should be able to study German, art history or dance, somewhere; if not in Bloomington, then where else in Indiana?
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 7 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for German
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Noun
The Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI) gives an award within the New German Cinema section and this year the accolade went to Sechswochenamt by Jaqueline Jansen.
—Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 7 July 2025
Anderson will be on the German National Team for the 2028 Olympics.
—Tobias Bass, New York Times, 7 July 2025
The Rockies’ extensions for Kyle Freeland ($12.9 million AAV), Ryan McMahon ($11.7 million AAV), Antonio Senzatela ($10.1 million AAV), and German Marquez ($10 million AAV) haven’t aged well.
—Troy Renck, Denver Post, 7 July 2025
Surely, a determined Indiana student who wants to attend his or her state university should be able to study German, art history or dance, somewhere; if not in Bloomington, then where else in Indiana?
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 7 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for German
Cite this Entry
“German.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/German. Accessed 14 Jul. 2025.
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