Stars and Stripes

American  

noun

1. the national flag of the U.S., consisting of 13 horizontal stripes that are alternately red and white, representing the original states, and of a blue field containing 50 white stars, representing the present states.

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Stars and Stripes British  

noun

1. Also known as: the Star-Spangled Banner.  (functioning as singular) the national flag of the United States of America, consisting of 50 white stars representing the present states on a blue field and seven red and six white horizontal stripes representing the original states

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Stars and Stripes Cultural  

1. The national flag of the United States. Its fifty stars represent the fifty states; its thirteen stripes represent the thirteen colonies that became the original states.

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Example Sentences

“This happened in the coldest way possible: DA Form 3434 stated that my last day as ombudsman for Stars and Stripes is April 28,” she wrote.

From Salon • May 3, 2026

At times, the Lion and Sun flag—the national flag of Iran before the 1979 Islamic Revolution—seemed almost as common as the Stars and Stripes.

From Slate • Mar. 27, 2026

Since then, the Stars and Stripes have flown alongside the Venezuelan tricolor at government buildings in Caracas, where senior Trump administration officials have been welcomed to discuss lucrative opportunities in Venezuela’s oil industry.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 3, 2026

Bavarian comedian Maxi Schafroth, 41, attempted to run up the Stars and Stripes on a flagpole near the cultural centre in Nuuk, before he was confronted by angry passers-by.

From Barron's • Jan. 29, 2026

I was too far down the slope to see that flag, but some of the Marines farther up from me saw the Stars and Stripes go up and started shouting and celebrating.

From "Code Talker: A Novel About the Navajo Marines of World War Two" by Joseph Bruchac