Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com

Spanish

American  
[span-ish] / ˈspæn ɪʃ /

adjective

  1. of or relating to Spain, its people, or their language.


noun

  1. the Spanish people collectively.

  2. a Romance language, the language of Spain, standard also in most of Latin America except Brazil. Sp, Sp.

Spanish British  
/ ˈspænɪʃ /

noun

  1. the official language of Spain, Mexico, and most countries of South and Central America except Brazil: also spoken in Africa, the Far East, and elsewhere. It is the native language of approximately 200 million people throughout the world. Spanish is an Indo-European language belonging to the Romance group

  2. (functioning as plural) Spaniards collectively

"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

adjective

  1. of or relating to the Spanish language or its speakers

  2. of or relating to Spain or Spaniards

"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

Usage

Plural word for Spanish The plural form of Spanish can be Spanishes. This is used to refer to different varieties of the Spanish language, as in The Spanishes of Spain and Mexico are quite different. Phrases like varieties of Spanish and Spanish dialects are probably more commonly used to refer to multiple versions of the language, but the plural Spanishes is perfectly acceptable.

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of Spanish

Middle English word dating back to 1175–1225; see origin at Spain, -ish 1

Compare meaning

How does spanish compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

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.

It was a C Street telltale, but Lee only shared it in Spanish.

From Salon • May 29, 2026

The poll of 8,578 registered California voters was conducted online in English and Spanish and has a margin of error of about 2 percentage points in either direction.

From Los Angeles Times • May 29, 2026

In his previous spell in charge of Real between 2010 and 2013, the Portuguese won La Liga, the Copa del Rey and the Spanish Super Cup.

From BBC • May 29, 2026

His social media followers lapped up his ability to recall obscure 90s footballers, and the fact he is a shareholder in Spanish side Real Oviedo.

From BBC • May 28, 2026

That the Spanish influenza had already sunk its fangs into Boston.

From "I Survived the Great Molasses Flood, 1919" by Lauren Tarshis

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Look it up. Learn it forever.

Remember "Spanish" for good with VocabTrainer. Expand your vocabulary effortlessly with personalized learning tools that adapt to your goals.

Take me to Vocabulary.com