Irish
Americanadjective
noun
-
the inhabitants of Ireland and their descendants elsewhere.
-
the aboriginal Celtic-speaking people of Ireland.
-
Also called Irish Gaelic. the Celtic language of Ireland in its historical or modern form. Ir, Ir.
idioms
adjective
-
of, relating to, or characteristic of Ireland, its people, their Celtic language, or their dialect of English
-
informal ludicrous or illogical
noun
-
(functioning as plural) the natives or inhabitants of Ireland
-
another name for Irish Gaelic
Sensitive Note
See Irish pennant.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of Irish
First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English Yrisse, Iris(c)h; compare Old English Īras people of Ireland (cognate with Old Norse Īrar ); see -ish 1
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
O'Dowd called Westminster, and particularly the Irish government, to "listen to this community".
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026
The tradition showed up in a 1921 trip by the Fighting Irish to play Army at West Point.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026
Similar schemes are held for the devolved Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish parliaments.
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026
The Irish folk band Beoga, who play with Sheeran during his set, also withdrew.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026
An unnamed man with an Irish accent was also in Kappe's office when Dasch arrived.
From Nazi Saboteurs by Samantha Seiple
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
