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

Yet job-sponsored insurance is the largest source of healthcare coverage in the U.S., covering more than half of Americans.

Read more on MarketWatch

Antisemitism, she maintains, hasn’t been the occasional result of a few bad American apples.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The U.S. can restrict Ukraine’s use of Storm Shadow because the missiles use American targeting data.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

She was a contestant on Season 18 of “American Idol” and made it to the show’s top 11 before being voted out.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

At least 36 people have been killed in the American strikes on alleged drug boats, including a recent strike on a semi-submersible vessel in the Caribbean.

Read more on BBC