Dutchman
Americannoun
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Dutchmen
plural
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a native or inhabitant of the Netherlands.
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(lowercase) a piece or wedge inserted to hide the fault in a badly made joint, to stop an opening, etc.
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Theater. a narrow strip of canvas to conceal the join between two flats.
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Slang: Sometimes Offensive. a term used to refer to a German.
noun
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a native, citizen, or inhabitant of the Netherlands
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a piece of wood, metal, etc, used to repair or patch faulty workmanship
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derogatory an Afrikaner
Sensitive Note
As used to refer to a German, the term Dutchman was originally standard English. But around the time of World War I, it became a slang term of contempt for the enemy. Its use nowadays is still sometimes perceived as insulting.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of Dutchman
Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; see origin at Dutch, man
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:
As a Dutchman, William sought to weaponize his new kingdom against his longtime enemy, Louis XIV of France.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026
The Dutchman, 47, guided the Reds to their 20th league title in his debut season but finished fifth in the Premier League and was sacked on 30 May.
From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026
Liverpool won the Premier League title in 2024/25 under Arne Slot but the Dutchman was sacked in May after a turbulent season.
From Barron's ● Aug. 10, 2026
The Dutchman inhabited the now-familiar role of empathetic counselor.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026
The Dutchman Antonie van Leeuwenhoek, whose microscopes surpassed all others, began to document insect anatomy in 1673.
From "The Girl Who Drew Butterflies: How Maria Merian's Art Changed Science" by Joyce Sidman
But then I remembered I did dance to the Six Fat Dutchmen in the ninth grade.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 13, 2025
“In Amsterdam, housing is dense, and the openness of the beach is very healing,” said Posthumus, who owns two bars in the city, Flying Dutchmen Cocktails and Dutch Courage.
From Washington Post ● Jan. 6, 2022
Jeff Bikus had 13 points for the Flying Dutchmen.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 10, 2021
A keen university rower, the 22-year-old Henri Peteri had heard of fellow Dutchmen trying to escape to the UK by fishing boat.
From BBC ● Sep. 21, 2021
How many Dutchmen would go along with them?
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
