San

[ sahn ]

/ sɑn /

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noun, plural Sans, (especially collectively) San for 1.

a member of a nomadic aboriginal people of southern Africa.

any of more than a dozen related Khoisan languages spoken by the San.

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Also called Bushman.

Words nearby San

Samsun, Samuel, Samuelson, samurai, samurai bond, San, Sanʿa, San Andreas fault, San Angelo, San Anselmo, San Antonian

Other definitions for San (2 of 3)

San²

[ sahn ]

/ sɑn /

noun

a river in central Europe, flowing from the Carpathian Mountains in W Ukraine through SE Poland into the Vistula: battles 1914–15. About 280 miles (450 km) long.

Other definitions for San (3 of 3)

-san

a suffix used in Japanese as a term of respect after names or titles: Suzuki-san; samurai-san.

Origin of -san

<Japanese, contraction of -sama suffix denoting direction, appearance, respect

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use San in a sentence

Coleen Cusack, who represents San Diegan Matthew Houser, argues the recent court ruling mandates that city prosecutors provide evidence on minor cases such as tickets for traffic violations or offenses commonly tied to homelessness.
Morning Report: Inside East County and San Diego’s Fight Over Sewage|Voice of San Diego|May 31, 2022|Voice of San Diego
This means youth like San Diegan Mialissa Florez, who’s featured in our story, will no longer feel like they’ve been shipped off and forgotten about.
Hard Truths Uncovered and a City Explained: Our Favorite Stories of 2021|Randy Dotinga|December 24, 2021|Voice of San Diego
So there’s no telling how many beach parking spaces San Diegans might have lost over time.
Environment Report: Seeing Red Curbs|MacKenzie Elmer|June 28, 2021|Voice of San Diego
The result is that a lot of San children are deprived of any cultural knowledge and drop out.
Hey, Teacher! Indigenous School Wrongs Are Global|Kate Bartlett|June 23, 2021|Ozy

Another small but significant genetic contribution came from slaves and the local, indigenous Khoekhoe, and San populations.
The architects of South African apartheid had mixed race ancestry, DNA confirms|Carina Schlebusch|June 6, 2021|Quartz
San Francisco was the first city to pass one in 2006; since then, 14 other cities and three states have followed suit.
Christie Blames Parents for Bad Economy|Monica Potts|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST
And now Portland, Los Angeles, and San Francisco are all suing Uber for refusing to play by their old regulatory playbooks.
Why Do ‘Progressives’ Want to Ban Uber and AirBnB?|Adam Thierer, Christopher Koopman|December 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Race is the San Andreas Fault of our culture as well as our history.
The Wildly Peaceful, Human, Almost Boring, Ultimately Great New York City Protests for Eric Garner|Mike Barnicle|December 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Last year in San Diego, they sported bloody pants and angry signs.
Anti-Cutters Slam New CDC Recommendations on Circumcision|Nina Strochlic|December 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Lynchburg is a six-month-old German sausage and ale house in the heart of Panama's San Francisco neighborhood.
House of the Witch: The Renegade Craft Brewers of Panama|Jeff Campagna|November 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
San Antonio de Bexar lies in a fertile and well-irrigated valley, stretching westward from the river Salado.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, No. CCCXXXIX. January, 1844. Vol. LV.|Various
Columbus found the natives of San Salvador smoking after this manner.
Tobacco; Its History, Varieties, Culture, Manufacture and Commerce|E. R. Billings.
The five hundred men whom we had left in San Antonio de Bexar, fared no better.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, No. CCCXXXIX. January, 1844. Vol. LV.|Various
The jagged top and spurs of San Jacinto Mountain shone like the turrets and posterns of a citadel built of rubies.
Ramona|Helen Hunt Jackson
On a shelf near one of these windows stood the little Madonna, again wreathed with vines as in San Pasquale.
Ramona|Helen Hunt Jackson

British Dictionary definitions for San (1 of 3)

san

/ (sæn) /

noun

old-fashioned, informal short for sanatorium

British Dictionary definitions for San (2 of 3)

San¹

/ (sɑːn) /

noun

an aboriginal people of southern Africa

a group of the Khoisan languages, spoken mostly by Bushmen

British Dictionary definitions for San (3 of 3)

San²

/ (sɑːn) /

noun

a river in E central Europe, rising in W Ukraine and flowing northwest across SE Poland to the Vistula River. Length: about 450 km (280 miles)

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