Van der Merwe

British

/ væn də ˈmɜːvə /

noun

a stereotypical figure humorously representing Boer stupidity and prejudice

"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

Etymology

Origin of Van der Merwe

C20: from a common Afrikaner surname

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.

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Van der Merwe

Toulouse star Kinghorn will start at full-back in place of Tom Jordan, who drops to the bench, while Van der Merwe, Scotland's record try-scorer, returns on the wing following an injury to Jamie Dobie.

From Barron's ● Feb. 19, 2026

The reality of Van der Merwe is that he's not been himself for close to a year.

From BBC ● Feb. 13, 2026

Van der Merwe and Kinghorn fail to even make the bench with Graham, Adam Hastings and George Horne the replacement backs.

From Barron's ● Feb. 5, 2026

Graham is among the replacements but Van der Merwe and Kinghorn are not even in the matchday 23, with stand-off Adam Hastings and scrum-half George Horne the other backs cover.

From BBC ● Feb. 5, 2026

Van der Merwe was a quiet, levelheaded man who spoke only when he had something important to say.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023