American

American  

[uh-mer-i-kuhn] / əˈmɛr ɪ kən /

adjective

1. of or relating to the United States of America or its inhabitants.

   an American citizen.

2. of or relating to North or South America; of the Western Hemisphere.

   the American continents.

3. of or relating to the Indigenous peoples of North and South America.

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noun

1. a citizen of the United States of America.

2. a native or inhabitant of North or South America.

3. an Indigenous person of North or South America.

4. American English.

5. a steam locomotive having a four-wheeled front truck, four driving wheels, and no rear truck.

American British  

/ əˈmɛrɪkən /

adjective

1. of or relating to the United States of America, its inhabitants, or their form of English

2. of or relating to the American continent

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noun

1. a native or citizen of the US

2. a native or inhabitant of any country of North, Central, or South America

3. the English language as spoken or written in the United States

Other Word Forms

• Americanly adverb
• Americanness noun

Etymology

Origin of American

First recorded in 1570–80; Americ(a) + -an

Example Sentences

"In some ways, he's kind of in a win-win situation," said Michael Shifter, a Latin American studies professor at Georgetown and the former head of the Inter-American Dialogue.

From BBC

Around 3 million Americans die each year, a number expected to approach 4 million annually over the next two decades, according to the National Funeral Directors Association, an industry lobbying group.

From The Wall Street Journal

Instead, Insteel has at times turned to tariffed imports from Algeria, India and elsewhere when there weren’t enough American supplies to go around.

From The Wall Street Journal

But she never came to the U.S., and so most American readers who remember Heynis today remember her records.

From The Wall Street Journal

The right of Americans to the “free exercise” of their faith is mentioned in the same amendment that protects Mr. Lemon’s speech.

From The Wall Street Journal