Yankee

American  

[yang-kee] / ˈjæŋ ki /

noun

Yankees plural

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.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• Yankees
  plural

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

See Examples For:

Yankee Yankees

Sunday’s show followed two earlier Yankee Stadium gigs in which Jay-Z brought out Beyoncé and their daughter, Blue Ivy Carter, as well as Nas, Eminem, Memphis Bleek, Jaz-O and Slick Rick.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2026

"It is the opposite of the Yankee Greater New England philosophy."

From BBC ● Jul. 4, 2026

Courtesy of Yankee Magazine’s Amy Traverso, this simplified rendition of old-fashioned chicken and dumplings starts with store-bought chicken stock, a rotisserie chicken and drop dumplings.

From Salon ● Jun. 29, 2026

When I visit back home, we still go to Yankee Stadium and Fenway Park to watch the rival teams play each other.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 14, 2026

Then you let out your shriek, because that’s how everyone in Yankee Stadium would be shrieking right then.

From "Okay for Now" by Gary D. Schmidt

But he clearly remembers the scene: a journey from his San Fernando Valley home to Angel Stadium, for a game featuring Derek Jeter and the New York Yankees.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2026

Apple TV+ has the exclusive Major League Baseball deal on Fridays, often featuring the Yankees.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026

The deep-pocketed New York Yankees are an outlier with their good results, but even they trail the stingy Tampa Bay Rays.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026

The collection also will include baseballs, bats and a limited run of Topps trading cards that promise to feature KAWS’ interpretation of Dodgers and Yankees iconography.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026

Strangely, it reminded him of a ticker-tape parade he’d gone to a few years ago, when the Yankees won the World Series.

From "Eleven" by Tom Rogers