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• 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.

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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

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“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.”

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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”

Guyana, the only English-speaking country in South America, is a republic and so Charles will be making a state visit on the 60th anniversary of its independence from Britain.

From Barron's ● Oct. 2, 2026

Conner’s Stars & Stripes wound up prevailing in the defender series, defeating Mighty Mary and Young America to represent the United States.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026

That requirement ruled out the two most recognisable Korean acts in America, BTS and Blackpink, whose latest releases are primarily sung in English.

From BBC ● Oct. 2, 2026

It showed 57 percent of people in Latin America considering the United States to be a positive influence, down from 60 percent in 2020.

From Barron's ● Oct. 2, 2026

But nineteenth-century America was full of “humbug,” a word used for the types of entertainment popularized by renowned promoter P. T. Barnum.

From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock

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

A 2012 piece by Glenn Ligon presents the word “America” written in neon, once rightside-up, in glowing white letters, and then below that upside-down in black letters that glow only from behind.

From New York Times ● Aug. 11, 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