Pan-American

American

[pan-uh-mer-i-kuhn] / ˌpæn əˈmɛr ɪ kən /

adjective

of, relating to, or representing all the countries or people of North, Central, and South America.

Pan-American British

adjective

of, relating to, or concerning North, South, and Central America collectively or the advocacy of political or economic unity among American countries

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Pan-Americanism

noun

Etymology

Origin of Pan-American

An Americanism dating back to 1885–90

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.

Both drivers reportedly survived the crash, which happened at kilometre 780 of the Pan-American Highway South.

From BBC • Nov. 12, 2025

“We had the Pan-American Games, the Olympic Games, the World Cup, thousands of Olympic promises and environmental legacies that ended up not happening,” he said.

From Seattle Times • Jun. 6, 2024

After three months away, Dudamel is back for a month to revive ‘Fidelio’ and oversee his Pan-American Music Initiative.

From Los Angeles Times • May 8, 2024

As Calle 13’s popularity and ambitions grew, the group formed international musical and activist alliances with songs like the Pan-American manifesto “Latinoamérica” in 2011.

From New York Times • Feb. 22, 2024

Here the Pan-American Highway had, as it turned out, sliced through some of the oldest public architecture anywhere on earth.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023