Yankee Doodle

[ dood-l ]

noun

(italics) a song with a melody of apparent British origin, popular with American troops during the Revolutionary War.
a Yankee.

Words Nearby Yankee Doodle

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use Yankee Doodle in a sentence

Yankee Doodle Dandy, from 1942, tells the story of the man who practically wrote the soundtrack to American patriotism.
13 Most Patriotic Movies Ever: ‘Act of Valor,’ ‘Top Gun’ & More (VIDEO) | Melissa Leon | July 4, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
The only boy in the competition dances shirtless to an EDM remix of “Yankee Doodle,” fake abs painted on his stomach.
Why ‘It’s Always Sunny’ Is Funny: An Examination of Scenes, Stripped of Context | Caitlin Dickson | November 10, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
In Europe, Pointer is stocked in stores with names like Americana and Yankee Doodle.
Farmwear Label, Pointer Brand, Hits High Fashion Note | Misty White Sidell | April 30, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
The final chorus was sung to "Yankee Doodle," and accompanied by a fiddle.
Mystic London: | Charles Maurice Davies
She returned to her native land with an English troupe, and made Yankee Doodle go wild.
Belford's Magazine, Vol. II, No. 3, February 1889 | Various

A shanghi ruseter cums out, with epaulets on, and crows Yankee Doodle—musik bi the band.
Josh Billings, Hiz Sayings | Henry Wheeler Shaw
I've got sound common sense instead, and that's what you don't possess, Yankee Doodle!
The Leader of the Lower School | Angela Brazil
Barton humming the tune of ‘Yankee Doodle,’ to make them the better understand what we wanted.
The Island Home | Richard Archer

British Dictionary definitions for Yankee Doodle

Yankee Doodle

noun

an American song, popularly regarded as a characteristically national melody
another name for Yankee

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

Cultural definitions for “Yankee Doodle”

“Yankee Doodle”

A popular American song, dating from the eighteenth century. The early settlers of New York were Dutch, and the Dutch name for Johnny is Janke, pronounced “Yankee.” This is the most likely origin of the term Yankee. Doodle meant “simpleton” in seventeenth-century English. First sung during the American Revolutionary War by the British troops to poke fun at the strange ways of the Americans (Yankees), the song was soon adopted by American troops themselves. Since then, the song has been considered an expression of American patriotism. The popular version of the first stanza is:

Yankee Doodle came to town
Riding on a pony;
He stuck a feather in his hat
And called it macaroni.
Yankee Doodle, keep it up,
Yankee Doodle dandy;
Mind the music and the step,
And with the girls be handy.

Browse