Filipino
Americanadjective
noun
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Filipinos
plural
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Sometimes Offensive. an inhabitant of the Philippines or a person of Philippine origin or descent.
noun
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Also (feminine): Filipina. a native or inhabitant of the Philippines
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another name for Tagalog
adjective
Sensitive Note
Use as a noun in reference to a person (e.g., “a Filipino”) is sometimes considered offensive.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of Filipino
First recorded in 1895–1900; from Spanish, derived from (las Islas) Filipinas “the Philippine Islands”; see origin at Philippines
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:
Even international chains like Jollibee, the popular Filipino fried chicken spot, has spread throughout the U.S. in recent years.
From Slate ● Aug. 24, 2026
We were white, Filipino, Vietnamese and Latino, children of working-class parents and equals in the eyes of God.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026
Open, her legions of Filipino fans energizing the entire tournament, even a Monday rainout final.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026
"To the Filipino community, here in DC and back home, wherever you are in the world. I really feel all the love."
From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026
Soon other people were crying, too, and from the hill came the voice of Antonio Dangaran, a Filipino man who had married Eleanor Kitano just two months before.
From "Snow Falling on Cedars: A Novel" by David Guterson
The International Labour Organization estimates that 12.7 million Filipinos - more than one in four workers - are employed in occupations exposed to generative AI, the highest share in South East Asia.
From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026
The Museo del Galeon, which focuses on the hulking Espiritu Santo, aims to tell the story of Spain's 250-year-long Pacific galleon trade from the perspective of the Filipinos who built and crewed the towering vessels.
From Barron's ● Apr. 28, 2026
Everyone is doomed in Mr. Diaz’s account of European colonialism and exploratory naval history—not just the primitive Filipinos and Indonesians but the Portuguese on the mission from their silent God.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 23, 2026
“It’s our first time here, it’s a much bigger audience, so we want to make an impression and prove that Filipinos deserve to be on that stage.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 9, 2026
When the Japanese prohibit Filipinos from gathering in groups, churches organize resistance meetings inside chapels under the guise of worship.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
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.
