all-American

American  

[awl-uh-mer-i-kuhn] / ˌɔl əˈmɛr ɪ kən /

adjective

1. representing the entire United States.

2. composed exclusively of American members or elements.

3. selected as the best in the United States, as in a sport.

   the all-American college football team of 1983.

---

noun

1. an all-American player or performer.

all-American British  

adjective

1. representative of the whole of the United States

2. composed exclusively of American members

3. (of a person) typically American

   the company looks for all-American clean-cut college students

---

Etymology

Origin of all-American

An Americanism dating back to 1885–90

Example Sentences

Another calls him a “poster boy for what an all-American kid would be.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 9, 2026

Inside Apple’s push to build an all-American chip.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 24, 2026

In just the second all-American semi-final in tournament history, Anisimova enjoyed the better start, leaping to a 3-0 advantage and she extended her lead to scoop the opening set in under 30 minutes.

From Barron's • Feb. 20, 2026

Henry, the great poet’s alter ego, reappears in all his ambiguity and confusion, an all-American, unremarkable, yet observant “unheroic hero” in the words of Shane McCrae, who writes the Introduction to this collection.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 3, 2025

Well, one Sunday morning, ol’ Ben here, yes, our marvelous, hero-brother, all star, all-American golden boy that we love, couldn’t stand it any longer.

From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy