Uncle Sam

American  

noun

1. a personification of the government or people of the U.S.: represented as a tall, lean man with white chin whiskers, wearing a blue tailcoat, red-and-white-striped trousers, and a top hat with a band of stars.

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Uncle Sam British  

noun

1. a personification of the government of the United States

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Uncle Sam Cultural  

1. A figure who stands for the government of the United States and for the United States itself. Uncle Sam — whose initials are the abbreviation of United States — is portrayed as an old man with a gray goatee who sports a top hat and Stars and Stripes clothing. During World War I and World War II, posters of Uncle Sam exhorted young men to join the armed forces. (Compare John Bull.)

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Etymology

Origin of Uncle Sam

An Americanism dating back to 1805–15; extension of the initials U.S.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Uncle Sam

After contributing to the system for decades — and with no way of knowing how long you’ll live in retirement — many people naturally want to get as much as they can from Uncle Sam.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 9, 2026

And yet now, as Canada’s leader, Carney would make an expanded version of the same case to America’s closest allies—that the entire global security system was too dependent on Uncle Sam.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026

Uncle Sam is slated to fork over more money than ever to help ease American farmers’ economic woes.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 28, 2026

You are doing a square dance with your children and the two-step with Uncle Sam.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 19, 2026

In 1939, she really was listening for spies—and Uncle Sam was counting on her to uncover their plots.

From "The Woman All Spies Fear" by Amy Butler Greenfield