American
Americanadjective
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of or relating to the United States of America or its inhabitants.
an American citizen.
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of or relating to North or South America; of the Western Hemisphere.
the American continents.
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of or relating to the Indigenous peoples of North and South America.
noun
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a citizen of the United States of America.
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a native or inhabitant of North or South America.
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an Indigenous person of North or South America.
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a steam locomotive having a four-wheeled front truck, four driving wheels, and no rear truck.
adjective
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of or relating to the United States of America, its inhabitants, or their form of English
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of or relating to the American continent
noun
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a native or citizen of the US
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a native or inhabitant of any country of North, Central, or South America
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the English language as spoken or written in the United States
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of American
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
In response, White House spokesman Kush Desai said: "The US is using its lawful authority" to address practices that burden American businesses.
From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026
U.S. military personnel in Taiwan are often referred to as “American English teachers,” a term used to avoid mentioning the American military explicitly, as their presence in Taiwan has long been an open secret.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026
The interagency body, chaired by the Treasury secretary, screens foreign acquisitions of American assets for national-security threats.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026
“Anywhere can burn under the right conditions, and unfortunately all of those conditions are changing,” Erica Smithwick, a climate scientist at Pennsylvania State University, told Scientific American recently.
From Salon ● Aug. 3, 2026
There’s a long line of people waiting to enter the grand opening of an African American museum.
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
The Wall Street Journal identified 10 people—nine Americans and one Canadian—who pushed back against DHS’s attempts to unmask them through the two types of subpoenas.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026
Mauricio Pochettino is staying with the U.S. soccer team, agreeing to a four-year contract to coach the Americans through the 2030 World Cup.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 3, 2026
Social Security was created to protect older Americans from poverty, yet its success has meant that millions of affluent retirees now receive benefits they may not need.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 3, 2026
Right-leaning Americans who had never been particularly civically engaged found themselves at city hall meetings or out in protests, furious about business closures and stay-at-home orders.
From Slate ● Aug. 3, 2026
I wonder where the Americans got so much wood.
From "The (Mostly) True Story of Cleopatra's Needle" by Dan Gutman
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
