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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

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

My german grandmother's spinach "salad" started with cooking a pound of bacon; adding brown sugar, vinegar...grease and all...served hot.

From New York Times ● Mar. 23, 2018

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

Russian policeman Vladislav and Lora, a german shepherd sniffer dog, stand guard in front Sochi's airport in Adler.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 29, 2014

I am his son, cousin german to Robert Devereaux, Earl of Essex.

From In Doublet and Hose A Story for Girls by Clyde Osmer De Land

The auction included lots from the collection of German Producer Reinhold Mack, who worked with Queen on several albums in the 1980s.

From BBC ● Oct. 2, 2026

This will be followed Tuesday by eurozone August retail sales figures, German August manufacturing orders and French August industrial production data.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026

In recent years, chronic delays on German trains have become a constant source of frustration and a punchline.

From Barron's ● Oct. 2, 2026

In 2018, he shared documents with German magazine Der Spiegel, which used them for investigations into City's finances and alleged breaches of financial fair play rules.

From BBC ● Oct. 2, 2026

“The information they pass will be decoy intelligence, but we want to see if there is German movement in reaction to the information.”

From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse

Graham finds his own principles tested when he begins a love affair with the Austrian countess whose estate is hosting the academy; her late husband, he learns, fought for the Germans.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026

"The Germans are further ahead with this than we are in Denmark. They sometimes retrieve explosives from the wrecks and neutralize them, but doing so is very costly," she notes.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 14, 2026

He also fought in World War One after joining the King's Liverpool Regiment but was captured by the Germans just months after being deployed to the front line.

From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026

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

As the Russians retreated in Poland, abandoning town after town to the Germans, terrified refugees were fleeing in all directions.

From "The War to End All Wars: World War I" by Russell Freedman