Mexican American

[ mek-si-kuhn-uh-mer-i-kuhn ]

noun

1. a citizen or resident of the U.S. of Mexican birth or descent; Chicano.

adjective

1. of or relating to Mexican Americans or their culture; Chicano.
2. Mexican-American, occurring between the United States and Mexico:

   The trade agreement lead to an increase in eighteen-wheelers crossing the Mexican-American border.

Word History and Origins

Origin of Mexican American¹

First recorded in 1950–55

Example Sentences

These Mexican American ladies sing Mexamericana tunes in English and Spanish with sweet harmonies and lyrics that bite.

From Los Angeles Times

She asked about “all the mumbo jumbo” — the transmission information — at the top of the document; I was more interested in the content: records from the 1930s that detailed a shameful chapter in Los Angeles history — repatriation campaigns that targeted Mexican and Mexican American families.

From Los Angeles Times

According to George J. Sánchez’s L.A. history “Becoming Mexican American,” Los Angeles lost a third of its Mexican and Mexican American population during these campaigns.

From Los Angeles Times

They could have been deported simply for being Mexican American.

From Los Angeles Times

“If you tell a people so many times that they are horrible and criminals, they will turn away from their own people and run towards whiteness,” Maria Hinojosa, a Pulitzer Prize-winning Mexican American journalist and founder of Futuro Media, posted on X after the elections.

From Los Angeles Times