all-American

[ awl-uh-mer-i-kuhn ]

/ ˌɔl əˈmɛr ɪ kən /

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adjective

representing the entire United States.

composed exclusively of American members or elements.

selected as the best in the United States, as in a sport: the all-American college football team of 1983.

noun

an all-American player or performer.

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of all-American

An Americanism dating back to 1885–90

Words nearby all-American

Allahu Akbar, all along, all along the line, allamanda, alla marcia, all-American, Allan, Allan-a-Dale, all and sundry, All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others, allanite

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use all-American in a sentence

I was a dorky Indo-English kid with a South Asian afro, and he was the all-American type, on the baseball team, et cetera.
How Aasif Mandvi Became Jon Stewart’s Favorite Jihadi|Dean Obeidallah|November 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
That all-American iconography has always been so potent in the Superman myth.
Christopher Nolan Uncut: On ‘Interstellar,’ Ben Affleck’s Batman, and the Future of Mankind|Marlow Stern|November 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But New Balance pledges that it will take the hit for any additional per-unit cost that comes from making an all-American shoe.
New Balance Lobbies Congress to Make the U.S. Military's Only Running Shoe|Tim Mak|September 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Tsongas and Rep. Mike Michaud (D-ME) have led the charge for an all-American recruit shoe in Congress.
New Balance Lobbies Congress to Make the U.S. Military's Only Running Shoe|Tim Mak|September 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST

A powder-blue blazer with a patch reading “All-Time All-American” hung in a clear plastic bag from the closet doorknob.
Football Great Bob Suffridge Wanders Through the End Zone of Life|Paul Hemphill|September 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The whole country formed itself into an All-American team that rushed onward irresistibly.
Harper's Pictorial Library of the World War, Volume XII|Various
Here is the common-sense way in which an all-American quarterback performs his duties.
The Plattsburg Manual|O.O. Ellis and E.B. Garey
That rattling double play had ended the game with the All-American team a victor by a score of four to three.
Baseball Joe Around the World|Lester Chadwick
The two halves were both veterans, and one of them the previous season had been picked for the All-American team in his position.
Bert Wilson on the Gridiron|J. W. Duffield
I'd enjoy pitting my boys against this all-American team, even if we were defeated.
Frank Merriwell's Pursuit|Burt L. Standish

British Dictionary definitions for all-American

all-American

adjective US

representative of the whole of the United States

composed exclusively of American members

(of a person) typically Americanthe company looks for all-American clean-cut college students

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012