Jump To:

• America
  America

  noun

  United States.
• “America”
  “America”

  An American patriotic hymn from the nineteenth century, sung to the tune of the national anthem of Great Britain, “God Save the Queen.” It begins, “My country, 'tis of thee.”

America

American  

[uh-mer-i-kuh] / əˈmɛr ɪ kə /

noun

1. United States.

2. North America.

3. South America.

4. Also called the Americas. North and South America considered together.

---

America British  

/ əˈmɛrɪkə /

noun

1. short for the United States of America

2. Also called: the Americas. the American continent, including North, South, and Central America

---

“America” Cultural  

1. An American patriotic hymn from the nineteenth century, sung to the tune of the national anthem of Great Britain, “God Save the Queen.” It begins, “My country, 'tis of thee.”

---

Usage

Spelling tips for America It can be difficult to remember how to spell the word America because it’s a place name that’s thought to be derived from a person’s name (Amerigo Vespucci). How to spell America: To remember how to spell America, think of a woman named Erica introducing herself: “Hi, I am Erica.”

Etymology

Origin of America

C16: from Americus , Latin form of Amerigo ; after Amerigo _Vespucci

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

America “America”

Pulling American diesel from the global market would also be a disaster for customers in Latin America and Europe who are reliant on U.S. supplies.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026

The 39th annual Hispanic Heritage Awards — which will honor the contributions and accomplishments of Latinos in the U.S. and Latin America — will air nationwide Friday on PBS.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 30, 2026

I just got the ick from corporate America.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 30, 2026

"Of course it remains an ongoing, complex and serious police investigation, and of course we are working closely with our colleagues in the United States of America," Burnham added.

From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026

Most cases of leprosy today are found in Asia, Africa, and South America, with two-thirds of the cases being diagnosed in India.

From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly

And finally, lovers of Maurizio Cattelan’s “America”, rejoice.

From Slate ● Nov. 1, 2025

The artist initially intended to create five matching versions of his toilet, which he titled “America” as a way to question which spaces in a museum get deemed sacred versus profane.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 31, 2025

Rivera was said to dazzle in dance-heavy musical numbers like “America” in “West Side Story,” “One Boy” and “Spanish Rose” in “Bye Bye Birdie,” and “All That Jazz” in “Chicago.”

From Salon ● Jan. 30, 2024

“America” is one of the closing tracks on “Renaissance,” Beyoncé’s seventh solo studio album, the one where she surveys the stakes and concludes they’re too damn high.

From New York Times ● Jul. 30, 2022

After the surrender, to my great surprise and joy, the same organ rolled out “America”; it did thrill me, even if it was played on a Filipino instrument and by a Filipino.

From An Ohio Woman in the Philippines Giving personal experiences and descriptions including incidents of Honolulu, ports in Japan and China by Emily Bronson Conger