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”

This year they have taken that myth further than ever, and Media Matters for America put a number on exactly how far.

From Salon ● Aug. 15, 2026

The Infectious Diseases Society of America has been equally unequivocal.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 15, 2026

Given nearly every household in America had a cable subscription during ESPN’s heyday, that equated to many billions of dollars in extremely high-margin revenue to Disney, delivered reliably and predictably every single year.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026

"It breaks my heart, because I love Americans and I love America."

From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026

So the loggers went back to their jobs, turning trees into the lumber that would build America.

From "Mountain of Fire" by Rebecca E. F. Barone

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

It would be deeply irresponsible for those of us with a public platform to offer assurances that somehow everything is going to turn out fine because of “America” and our “optimism” and “national character.”

From Salon ● Sep. 13, 2025

The country wasn’t colloquially referred to as “America” until 1898.

From New York Times ● Jul. 7, 2023

“America” suggests all these and then it suggests spirit.

From The Short Constitution by William F. Russell