Uncle Sam

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.

Uncle Sam

noun

1. a personification of the government of the United States

Uncle Sam

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.)

Word History and Origins

Origin of Uncle Sam¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of Uncle Sam¹

C19: apparently a humorous interpretation of the letters stamped on army supply boxes during the War of 1812: US

Example Sentences

You wouldn’t lend Uncle Sam your money for 10 years at, say, 4% interest if you thought inflation was going to be 4% a year over that time.

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Americans shouldn’t do their 2026 budgeting with the expectation of a hefty check from Uncle Sam.

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So companies get higher productivity and don’t have to pay Social Security taxes to Uncle Sam.

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So he was stunned when, in high school, he saw “Dazed and Confused” and recognized the backyard rocks where he’d frequently hung out with friends and the giant mural of Uncle Sam.

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But you’ll have to pay Uncle Sam for the privilege, in the form of a big federal tax hit.

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