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

That America needed a shock to its system should have been obvious by the middle of the last decade.

From The Wall Street Journal

Smithfield Foods SFD 2.24%increase; green up pointing triangle plans to build a large hog slaughterhouse in South Dakota, marking the first new facility built by America’s top pork producer in decades.

From The Wall Street Journal

Comedian Daniel Tosh even parlayed a desire to gawk at the web’s inept and unaware into a vicious update of “America’s Funniest Home Videos” that aired on Comedy Central for years.

From Salon

The studies in this review took place in Europe, North America, China, Australia and South America.

From BBC

America’s long-term strength depends on educating our next generation of leaders with the knowledge, moral clarity and courage to speak the truth and faithfully advance the nation’s core values and founding ideals.

From The Wall Street Journal