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  • San
    San
    noun
    a member of a nomadic aboriginal people of southern Africa.
  • -san
    -san
    a suffix used in Japanese as a term of respect after names or titles.
  • san
    san
    noun
    short for sanatorium

San

1 American  
[sahn] / sɑn /

noun

plural

Sans,

plural

San

  1. a member of a nomadic aboriginal people of southern Africa.

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

San 2 American  
[sahn] / sɑn /

noun

  1. 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.

-san 3 American  

  1. a suffix used in Japanese as a term of respect after names or titles.

    Suzuki-san; samurai-san.
San 1 British  
/ sɑːn /

noun

  1. an aboriginal people of southern Africa

  2. a group of the Khoisan languages, spoken mostly by Bushmen

"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
San 2 British  
/ sɑːn /

noun

  1. 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
san 3 British  
/ sæn /

noun

  1. old-fashioned short for sanatorium

"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

Etymology

Origin of -san

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

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.

Neighbors First was formed last fall as a nonprofit public benefit corporation, with San Rafael-based attorney Steven S. Lucas serving as its chief financial officer, according to paperwork filed with the secretary of state.

From Los Angeles Times • May 9, 2026

The police activity was the result of a two-month operation targeting a group of riders who police said took over city streets and generally disrupted public safety across the San Francisco Bay Area.

From Los Angeles Times • May 9, 2026

Sometimes, all you need is a touch of nostalgia, and San Marino's here to show why with the transcontinental disco grooves of Superstar.

From BBC • May 8, 2026

Fernandez, dressed in a cream blazer dress, took the oath of office before a large crowd of flag-waving supporters in the National Stadium of San Jose, Costa Rica's capital.

From Barron's • May 8, 2026

Looking at their maps, San Román and Oliva could see another mistake the Americans had made.

From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin

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.