all-American

[awl-uh-mer-i-kuhn]

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

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of all-American¹

An Americanism dating back to 1885–90

Example Sentences

You hear it in the line, “No matter how hard Hollywood tried to make her all-American, she never stopped being Latin” and more than that, you see it in Lopez’s delight as she flashes her legs and tosses her hair.

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“It’s bananas,” said Aaron Taylor, a former All-American at Notre Dame and now a college football analyst.

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Simon’s friends—the all-American hero Rex van Ryn and the old-fashioned aristocrat the Duke de Richleau—must save him from the devil-worshipping cult, which represents the dark power of the Nazi regime.

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She’s the sister of former Harvard-Westlake All-American Nikolas Khamenia, who is now a freshman at Duke.

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After transferring from Michigan State to fill the opening created by Aday Mara’s departure, Booker has moved from power forward to center in a career reboot for the former McDonald’s All-American who was more of a small fry with the Spartans, averaging 4.3 points, 2.0 rebounds and 0.6 blocks during two disappointing seasons.

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