Yankee

American  

[yang-kee] / ˈyæŋ ki /

noun

1. a native or inhabitant of the United States.

2. a native or inhabitant of New England.

3. a native or inhabitant of a northern U.S. state, especially of one of the northeastern states that sided with the Union in the American Civil War.

4. a federal or northern soldier in the American Civil War.

5. a word used in communications to represent the letter Y.

6. Military. the NATO name for a class of streamlined, nuclear-powered Soviet submarines, with 16 multiple-warhead ballistic missiles: first produced for the Soviet Navy in the 1960s; in service with the Russian Navy 1992–95.

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adjective

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of a Yankee or Yankees.

   Yankee ingenuity.

Yankee British  

/ ˈjæŋkɪ /

noun

1. derogatory a native or inhabitant of the US; American

2. a native or inhabitant of New England

3. a native or inhabitant of the Northern US, esp a Northern soldier in the Civil War

4. communications a code word for the letter y

5. finance a bond issued in the US by a foreign borrower

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adjective

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of Yankees

Yankee Cultural  

1. Originally a nickname for people from New England, now applied to anyone from the United States. Even before the American Revolutionary War, the term Yankee was used by the British to refer, derisively, to the American colonists. Since the Civil War, American southerners have called all northerners Yankees. Since World War I, the rest of the world has used the term to refer to all Americans.

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Discover More

The expression “Yankee, go home” reflects foreign resentment of American presence or involvement in other nations' affairs.

Etymology

Origin of Yankee

An Americanism dating back to 1680–90 of uncertain origin; perhaps back formation from Dutch Jan Kees “John Cheese,” nickname (mistaken for plural) applied by the Dutch of colonial New York to English settlers in Connecticut

Example Sentences

The winner of eight Latin Grammy Awards made her Coachella debut in 2022 with a performance that paid tribute to Latin music icons such as Selena, Celia Cruz, and Daddy Yankee.

From Barron's • Apr. 10, 2026

The viral fried chicken at Yankee Stadium is a sellout.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 8, 2026

Would it be reggaeton legends like Daddy Yankee and Don Omar?

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 10, 2026

Over time, artists like Daddy Yankee, Tego Calderón and Don Omar - who Martínez Ocasio honoured during the Super Bowl - helped turn reggaeton into a mainstream genre many of us grew up with.

From BBC • Feb. 10, 2026

Mr. Nolly was thinking about her, too, because he soon said, “Scuse me for astin’, but ain’t Miz Blakeslee a Yankee?

From "Cold Sassy Tree" by Olive Ann Burns