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.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Uncle Sam

Despite his efforts to avoid incurring the wrath of Uncle Sam, Marset eventually came into the crosshairs of the DEA.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 23, 2026

But can I take advantage this apparent arbitrage opportunity to make some easy money by borrowing from a bank at 0% and then lending to Uncle Sam at 4.7% a year?

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 16, 2026

But TIPS, through their inflation protection, mitigate some of the risk of lending to Uncle Sam if he turns reckless.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026

Others will see every last dime go through Uncle Sam.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 17, 2026

The similarity was astounding; Turtle not only looked like her Uncle Sam, she acted like him.

From "The Westing Game" by Ellen Raskin

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