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

But it wasn't a glitch, the American ran the 100m in 10.39 seconds in high school.

From BBC • May 5, 2026

American tennis star Venus Williams, a five-time Wimbledon winner, also co-chaired the event.

From BBC • May 4, 2026

But the future of American air power is uncertain.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 4, 2026

Big names like Procter & Gamble, 3M, Lands' End and American Eagle are already signed up.

From Barron's • May 4, 2026

Gran always stayed at Claridge’s or with her American friends, like Lady Astor.

From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin