Hispanic
Americanadjective
-
of or relating to Spanish-speaking Latin America.
the United States and its Hispanic neighbors.
-
Also Hispano of or relating to people of Spanish-speaking descent: the Hispanic vote;
Hispanic students;
the Hispanic vote;
Hispanic communities.
noun
-
Hispanics
plural
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Also called Hispano-American. Also called Hispanic American. a citizen or resident of the United States who is of Spanish or Spanish-speaking Latin American descent.
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a person whose primary or native language is Spanish.
adjective
noun
Usage
Some words that describe national or ethnic identities are acceptable as plural nouns, but are more controversial as singular nouns. This is the case for Hispanic. It’s often acceptable as a plural noun (a candidate favored by Hispanics ). However, it may sometimes be less so as a singular noun (the candidate who is a Hispanic ). Such words are always perfectly appropriate as adjectives (strategies to get Hispanic voters to the polls).
his is the word most generally used in the US to refer to people of Latin American or Spanish ancestry
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of Hispanic
First recorded in 1580–90; from Latin hispānicus, “Spanish”; see Hispania, -ic
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:
Hispanic older adults face a disproportionate burden of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 16, 2026
Mexican Americans, who make up the largest Hispanic population in the United States, also have particularly high rates of diabetes, obesity and dyslipidemia, conditions that can increase dementia risk.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 16, 2026
"His background is everything - European, African-American, Hispanic and indigenous as well," he says.
From BBC ● Aug. 1, 2026
That’s not unusual, and the acceptance rate for the school’s black and Hispanic students is typically double the citywide average.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
Roughly half of the students are African American; the rest are Hispanic.
From "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell
Becerra’s support grew among key constituent groups, and he now carries 44% of Democrats, 36% of Hispanics and 36% of women.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 31, 2026
Instrumental to Rehmet’s victory was the backing he received from Hispanics, who account for slightly more than one in five eligible voters in the district.
From Salon ● Feb. 3, 2026
That figure is around 30% for Hispanics, who are 37% of the US Catholic population.
From BBC ● Dec. 23, 2025
A 2020 Harris Poll found 72% prefer traditional architecture for federal buildings, with bipartisan majorities of blacks, Hispanics and whites preferring traditional styles.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 26, 2025
In 1983, as a result of desegregation the proportion of white students at Permian was 76 percent and that of Hispanics 14 percent.
From "Friday Night Lights: A Town, A Team, And A Dream" by H.G. Bissinger
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.
