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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

• Sans,
  plural
• San
  plural

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.

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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.

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-san ³ American  

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

   Suzuki-san; samurai-san.

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San ¹ British  

/ sɑːn /

noun

1. an aboriginal people of southern Africa

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

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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)

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san ³ British  

/ sæn /

noun

1. old-fashioned short for sanatorium

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• San
  plural
• Sans
  plural

Etymology

Origin of -san

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

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

San san Sans

He’d done that before, dramatically, to win races like Strade Bianchi and Milan San Remo.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 30, 2026

And maybe it was the focus-sapping heat, but USC’s defense wasn’t as stifling, not as suffocating it should have been against an opponent as hopelessly overmatched as San José State.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 30, 2026

She started her career at legal-affairs newspaper The Recorder in San Francisco.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 30, 2026

And while the return to Cal will not be a homecoming for Bhaghani, a San Diego native, the game is important to him too.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 30, 2026

Maybe that should’ve sounded more appealing—after all, San Francisco still felt like home—but my mind could only grasp that both these men were strangers.

From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu

Alcoa san k 7% after the aluminum producer’s first-quarter earnings and revenue fell short of analysts’ expectations.

From Barron's ● Apr. 17, 2026

Miyazaki san responded, “I am making this movie because I do not have the answer.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 13, 2023

“Miyazaki san is a master of that stature.”

From Seattle Times ● Sep. 8, 2023

The pair, Sean Turnell, a former adviser to deposed Myanmar leader Aung san Suu Kyi and Vicky Bowman, were headed to Bangkok on an evening flight, the source said.

From Reuters ● Nov. 17, 2022

Instead, she kept her eye out for the san Francisco international airport sign.

From "When Dimple Met Rishi" by Sandhya Menon

Then, enter Comic Sans typeface — a perfect dash of irony.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 16, 2026

Davide Musardo, who volunteered with Medecins Sans Frontieres, has written of trying to provide therapy against the background of drones and explosions.

From BBC ● Dec. 29, 2025

Another doctor - from the international agency Médecins Sans Frontières - sent a series of anguished voice messages to colleagues in London after sunrise on 12 February.

From BBC ● Feb. 21, 2024

Medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres said its clinic in Gaza City also came under fire on Monday.

From Reuters ● Nov. 20, 2023

A garden party at Sans Souci, the country home of the Baroness Edmond de Rothschild, effectively brought the meeting to its end.

From "Double Helix" by James D. Watson