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• german
  german

  adjective

  having the same father and mother, as a full brother or sister (usually used in combination).
• German
  German

  adjective

  of or relating to Germany, its inhabitants, or their language.

german

¹ American  

[jur-muhn] / ˈdʒɜr mən /

adjective

1. having the same father and mother, as a full brother or sister (usually used in combination).

   a brother-german.

2. born of the brother or sister of one's father or mother, as a first cousin (usually used in combination).

   a cousin-german.

3. Archaic. germane.

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German ² American  

[jur-muhn] / ˈdʒɜr mən /

adjective

1. of or relating to Germany, its inhabitants, or their language.

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noun

• Germans
  plural

1. a native or inhabitant of Germany.

2. a descendant of a native of Germany.

3. Also called High German.  an Indo-European language that is based on a High German dialect, is official in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, and is also widely used as an international language for scholarship and science. G, G.

4. Linguistics. any variety of West Germanic speech native to Germany, Austria, or Switzerland.

5. (usually lowercase) an elaborate social dance resembling a cotillion.

6. (lowercase) a dancing party featuring the german.

German ¹ British  

/ ˈdʒɜːmən /

noun

1. the official language of Germany and Austria and one of the official languages of Switzerland; the native language of approximately 100 million people. It is an Indo-European language belonging to the West Germanic branch, closely related to English and Dutch. There is considerable diversity of dialects; modern standard German is a development of Old High German, influenced by Martin Luther's translation of the Bible See also High German Low German

2. a native, inhabitant, or citizen of Germany

3. a person whose native language is German

   Swiss Germans

   Volga Germans

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adjective

1. denoting, relating to, or using the German language

2. relating to, denoting, or characteristic of any German state or its people

german ² British  

/ ˈdʒɜːmən /

adjective

1. 1. having the same parents as oneself

      a brother-german

   2. having a parent that is a brother or sister of either of one's own parents

      cousin-german

2. a less common word for germane

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german ³ British  

/ ˈdʒɜːmən /

noun

1. a dance consisting of complicated figures and changes of partners

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• anti-German
  noun
• half-German
  adjective
• non-German
  adjective
• pre-German
  adjective
• pro-German
  adjective
• pseudo-German
  adjective
• quasi-German
  adjective
• un-German
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• Germans
  plural

Etymology

Origin of german¹

1250–1300; Middle English germain < Old French < Latin germānus, derivative of germen; see germ

Origin of German²

1520–30; < Latin Germānus German; cognate with Greek Germanoí (plural)

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

german German Germans

Biden will be forced to consume the brief while nursing a broken foot, after slipping while playing with his german shepherd, Major.

From The Guardian ● Nov. 30, 2020

The Bidens had already said that Champ and Major, their two german shepherds, will be moving into the White House.

From Slate ● Nov. 29, 2020

But there were many on Monday who dissented out of loyalty to the german shepherd or the cocker spaniel, and the measure barely passed.

From Time ● Feb. 24, 2015

Just imagine the same movie, but not with a US soldier in Iraq, but a german soldier in WW2.

From New York Times ● Feb. 23, 2015

In May he led his men on the march to the Big Horn, and in June she led with Cadet Lieutenant Winn the german at the graduation hop at West Point.

From A Trooper Galahad by Charles King

Kyiv held talks with German company Rheinmetall about manufacturing hundreds of tanks on Ukrainian territory but the financing and orders never arrived, said Armin Papperger, the company’s CEO.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026

With a season under his belt, there is a genuine belief among those at Liverpool that there is much more to come from the German, who scored seven goals and provided 10 assists last season.

From BBC ● Aug. 23, 2026

German media reported at the time that the Lower Saxony state government, a major shareholder in the Volkswagen Group which holds 20 percent of the voting rights, refused to sign off on the plans.

From Barron's ● Aug. 23, 2026

The work of VroniPlag Wiki alone has led to several German universities revoking doctoral degrees they had awarded to elected and appointed government officials.

From Salon ● Aug. 23, 2026

How grateful I was now for Father’s insistence that his children speak German and English almost as soon as Dutch.

From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom

Seven Italians, two Germans and two Spaniards were killed, along with two crew members, a spokesman for the transport ministry said.

From Barron's ● Aug. 2, 2026

President Woodrow Wilson was re-elected the year that pipe was laid, and the Germans attacked the French in the World War I Battle of Verdun, with the death toll topping 700,000.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 25, 2026

It was a safe haven from the Germans, who feared being ambushed by the Resistance.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026

More than two thirds of Germans think antisemitism is rising compared with less than half of people in the rest of Europe, according to a 2025 European Commission survey.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026

For the next three days Cato was at the Haarlem police station from early morning until curfew, pestering Dutch and Germans alike to let her see her husband.

From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom