Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com

dual citizenship

American  
[doo-uhl sit-uh-zuhn-ship, -suhn-, dyoo-] / ˈdu əl ˈsɪt ə zənˌʃɪp, -sən-, ˈdju- /

noun

  1. Also called dual nationality.  the status of a person who is a legal citizen of two or more countries.

  2. citizenship of both a state and a nation, in nations consisting of a federation of states, as the U.S.


Etymology

Origin of dual citizenship

First recorded in 1920–25

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

I’m moving to Canada or Iceland or the south of France; I need to find my grandmother’s birth certificate and apply for dual citizenship.

From Salon May 31, 2026

Canada’s count, at more than 250,000, doesn’t fully capture dual citizenship, or the flow of Americans whose daily lives straddle the border.

From The Wall Street Journal Feb. 26, 2026

Neil Young was born in Canada but later moved to the US and holds dual citizenship.

From BBC Jan. 27, 2026

It means “fox” in Italian, said Volpe, who has dual citizenship in America and Italy.

From Los Angeles Times Oct. 25, 2024

The Constitution, however, developed the idea of a dual citizenship.

From The Constitution of the United States A Brief Study of the Genesis, Formulation and Political Philosophy of the Constitution by Beck, James M. (James Montgomery)

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Dictionary.com's Learning Companion

Go beyond just looking up words.
Remember them forever with VocabTrainer.

Start training