Spanish-American War

American  

noun

1. the war between the U.S. and Spain in 1898.

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Spanish-American War British  

noun

1. the war between the US and Spain (1898) resulting in Spain's withdrawal from Cuba and its cession of Guam, the Philippines, and Puerto Rico

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Spanish-American War Cultural  

1. A war between Spain and the United States, fought in 1898. The war began as an intervention by the United States on behalf of Cuba. Accounts of Spanish mistreatment of Cuban natives had aroused much resentment in the United States, a resentment encouraged by the yellow press (see yellow journalism). The incident that led most directly to the war was the explosion of the United States battleship Maine in the harbor of Havana, Cuba, an incident for which many Americans blamed Spain (see Remember the Maine). The United States won the war easily. The best-remembered incidents in the Spanish-American War were the charge of the Rough Riders, led by Theodore Roosevelt, in the Battle of San Juan Hill in Cuba, and the Battle of Manila Bay in the Philippines, at which Admiral George Dewey said, “You may fire when you are ready, Gridley.” The United States acquired Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines in the war and gained temporary control over Cuba.

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The victory of the United States in the Spanish-American War made the country a world power, with territories spread across the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea. Hawaii, which had been an independent kingdom, was annexed by the United States in the same period.

Example Sentences

Roosevelt employed Mahan’s theories as assistant secretary of the Navy during the Spanish-American War in 1898, when the U.S. seized Cuba, Puerto Rico, the Philippines, and more.

From Barron's • Jun. 5, 2026

A comparable process took place in Cuba after the Spanish-American War, when American sugar companies acquired 60% of rural properties across Cuba, reducing independent farmers—largely manumitted slaves and their descendants—to the level of low-wage labor.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026

Over the decades, thousands of veterans of the Civil War, Spanish-American War and World War I lived on the grounds.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 3, 2026

In a strange circumstance, Cuba even achieved its independence as a result of the American victory in the Spanish-American War.

From Salon • Mar. 24, 2026

The United States, which has occupied the Philippines since the Spanish-American War in 1898, is one of those enemies.

From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly