American

[uh-mer-i-kuhn]

adjective

1. of or relating to the United States of America or its inhabitants.

   an American citizen.

2. of or relating to North or South America; of the Western Hemisphere.

   the American continents.

3. of or relating to the Indigenous peoples of North and South America.

noun

1. a citizen of the United States of America.

2. a native or inhabitant of North or South America.

3. an Indigenous person of North or South America.

4. American English.

5. a steam locomotive having a four-wheeled front truck, four driving wheels, and no rear truck.

American

/ əˈmɛrɪkən /

adjective

1. of or relating to the United States of America, its inhabitants, or their form of English

2. of or relating to the American continent

noun

1. a native or citizen of the US

2. a native or inhabitant of any country of North, Central, or South America

3. the English language as spoken or written in the United States

Other Word Forms

• Americanly adverb
• Americanness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of American¹

First recorded in 1570–80; Americ(a) + -an

Example Sentences

They met in America and wanted their kids to achieve the American dream.

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The statement by the Council on American–Islamic Relations speaks volumes.

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“The United States has no obligation to host foreigners who wish death on Americans,” the department said.

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If legacy media wants to be trusted again, it should return to the professionalism and principles that once made it the go-to source for every American.

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Washington rightly worries it will increase the costs of goods American households buy by increasing global shipping costs as much as 10%.

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