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• Chicano
  Chicano

  adjective

  of or relating to Mexican Americans or their culture.
• chicano
  chicano

  noun

  an American citizen of Mexican origin

Chicano

American  

[chi-kah-noh, -kan-oh] / tʃɪˈkɑ noʊ, -ˈkæn oʊ /

Or chicano

adjective

1. of or relating to Mexican Americans or their culture.

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noun

Chicanos plural

1. a Mexican American.

chicano British  

/ tʃɪˈkɑːnəʊ /

noun

1. an American citizen of Mexican origin

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Usage

What does Chicano mean? A Chicano is a person who is Mexican American. In other words, it’s someone of Mexican descent who was born in or now lives in the United States, as in Although Jorge loves living in the United States, he remains a proud Chicano, frequently visiting his Mexican hometown. Chicano is also used as an adjective to describe Mexican American people or things involving them or their culture, as in Rosa loved Chicano food so much that she became a chef and opened a popular Chicano restaurant. Chicano comes from Mexican Spanish, a language that uses gendered nouns. Chicano is the masculine form, while Chicana is the feminine form. Chican@ and Chicanx are sometimes used as gender-neutral forms. As with any term that refers to a person’s identity, it is best to ask the person what term they prefer to identify themselves with. Even if a person fits the dictionary definition of Chicano, they might prefer to be identified by another term, such as Mexican American, American, Mexican, Hispanic, or Latino. Example: The ad campaign was targeted at the city’s large Chicano population, who were proud of their Mexican heritage.

Etymology

Origin of Chicano

First recorded in 1960–65; from Mexican Spanish, by shortening and alteration of mexicano Mexican ( def. )

Example Sentences

It is the Chicano printmakers in East Los Angeles and the Black artists of Leimert Park.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 21, 2026

In the 1970s, Chicano artists in the U.S. adopted Kahlo as an emblem of their cultural pride and demand for equal rights.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026

His death was announced in a Facebook post by Cal State Northidge’s Department of Chicano and Chicana Studies, which Acuña helped establish and where he taught for over four decades.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 24, 2026

Cal State Fullerton Chicano studies professor Alexandro José Gradilla remembered inviting Acuña to speak on his campus in 2011.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 24, 2026

Chicano, the Spanish word, was a term lower-class Mexican-Americans had long used to name themselves.

From "Hunger of Memory" by Richard Rodriguez