Irish

American  

[ahy-rish] / ˈaɪ rɪʃ /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of Ireland, its inhabitants, or their language.

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noun

1. the inhabitants of Ireland and their descendants elsewhere.

2. the aboriginal Celtic-speaking people of Ireland.

3. Also called Irish Gaelic.  the Celtic language of Ireland in its historical or modern form. Ir, Ir.

4. Irish English.

5. Irish whiskey.

idioms

1. get one's Irish up, to become angry or outraged.

   Don't go getting your Irish up over a little matter like that.

Irish British  

/ ˈaɪrɪʃ /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of Ireland, its people, their Celtic language, or their dialect of English

2. informal ludicrous or illogical

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noun

1. (functioning as plural) the natives or inhabitants of Ireland

2. another name for Irish Gaelic

Irish More Idioms  

1. see luck of the devil (Irish).

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Sensitive Note

See Irish pennant.

Other Word Forms

• Irishly adverb
• anti-Irish adjective
• half-Irish adjective
• non-Irish adjective
• pre-Irish adjective
• pro-Irish adjective
• pseudo-Irish adjective

Etymology

Origin of Irish

First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English Yrisse, Iris(c)h; compare Old English Īras people of Ireland (cognate with Old Norse Īrar ); -ish ¹

Example Sentences

The Irish government, majority owner of PTSB, will recoup 930.7 million euros from the sale of its 57.5% stake.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 14, 2026

Irish police chief Justin Kelly said the action was taken as a last resort.

From Barron's • Apr. 12, 2026

He toured with a traveling Irish theater company and starred as Romeo opposite Francesca Annis at Richmond Theatre.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 12, 2026

“I guess it’s just luck of the Irish or something,” he said after that one.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 12, 2026

An unnamed man with an Irish accent was also in Kappe's office when Dasch arrived.

From Nazi Saboteurs by Samantha Seiple