American

[ uh-mer-i-kuhn ]

adjective

1. of or relating to the United States of America or its inhabitants:

   an American citizen.

2. of or relating to North or South America; of the Western Hemisphere:

   the American continents.

3. of or relating to the Indigenous peoples of North and South America.

noun

1. a citizen of the United States of America.
2. a native or inhabitant of North or South America.
3. an Indigenous person of North or South America.
4. American English.
5. a steam locomotive having a four-wheeled front truck, four driving wheels, and no rear truck.

American

/ əˈmɛrɪkən /

adjective

1. of or relating to the United States of America, its inhabitants, or their form of English
2. of or relating to the American continent

noun

1. a native or citizen of the US
2. a native or inhabitant of any country of North, Central, or South America
3. the English language as spoken or written in the United States

Other Word Forms

• A·mer·i·can·ly adverb
• A·mer·i·can·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of American¹

First recorded in 1570–80; Americ(a) + -an

Example Sentences

The Trump administration has said the measures will bring manufacturing back to the US, create jobs for American workers and generate billions of dollars of tax revenues.

From BBC

“Americans have been slow to recognize this because we’ve never experienced it as a society,” he said.

From Los Angeles Times

On Wednesday, the environmental group American Rivers ranked the Tijuana River No. 2 on its annual list of the nation’s most endangered rivers, up from No. 9 on the list last year.

From Los Angeles Times

"The President is 100% committed to ensuring that terrorists and criminal illegal migrants are no longer a threat to Americans and their communities across the country."

From Salon

This independent streak is quintessentially American, we like to tell ourselves, and it can expand to malignant extremes.

From Salon