AMERICAN

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does American mean? 

• AMERICAN (noun)
  The noun AMERICAN has 3 senses:

1. a native or inhabitant of the United States

2. the English language as used in the United States

3. a native or inhabitant of a North American or Central American or South American country

  Familiarity information: AMERICAN used as a noun is uncommon.

• AMERICAN (adjective)
  The adjective AMERICAN has 2 senses:

1. of or relating to the United States of America or its people or language or culture

2. of or relating to or characteristic of the continents and islands of the Americas

  Familiarity information: AMERICAN used as an adjective is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• AMERICAN (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A native or inhabitant of the United States

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Hypernyms ("American" is a kind of...):

denizen; dweller; habitant; indweller; inhabitant (a person who inhabits a particular place)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "American"):

Tennessean; Volunteer (a native or resident of Tennessee)

Cornhusker; Nebraskan (a native or resident of Nebraska)

South Dakotan (a native or resident of South Dakota)

South Carolinian (a native or resident of South Carolina)

Rhode Islander (a native or resident of Rhode Island)

Keystone Stater; Pennsylvanian (a native or resident of Pennsylvania)

Beaver; Oregonian (a native or resident of Oregon)

Oklahoman; Sooner (a native or resident of Oklahoma)

Buckeye; Ohioan (a native or resident of Ohio)

North Dakotan (a native or resident of North Dakota)

North Carolinian; Tarheel (a native or resident of North Carolina)

New Yorker (a native or resident of New York (especially of New York City))

New Mexican (a native or resident of New Mexico)

Garden Stater; New Jerseyan; New Jerseyite (a native of resident of New Jersey)

Granite Stater; New Hampshirite (a native or resident of New Hampshire)

Nevadan (a native or resident of Nevada)

Northerner; Yank; Yankee (an American who lives in the North (especially during the American Civil War))

Wyomingite (a native or resident of Wyoming)

Tory (an American who favored the British side during the American Revolution)

Hispanic; Hispanic American; Spanish American (an American whose first language is Spanish)

Southerner (an American who lives in the South)

Nisei (a person born in the United States of parents who emigrated from Japan)

New Englander; Yankee (an American who lives in New England)

Appalachian (a native or inhabitant of Appalachia)

Yank; Yankee; Yankee-Doodle (an American (especially to non-Americans))

Puerto Rican (a native or resident of Puerto Rico)

Texan (a native or resident of Texas)

Badger; Wisconsinite (a native or resident of Wisconsin)

West Virginian (a native or resident of West Virginia)

Washingtonian (a native or resident of the city of Washington)

Washingtonian (a native or resident of the state of Washington)

Virginian (a native or resident of Virginia)

Vermonter (a native or resident of Vermont)

Utahan (a native or resident of Utah)

Bay Stater (a native or resident of Massachusetts)

Franco-American (an American who was born in France or whose ancestors were French)

Floridian (a native or resident of Florida)

Delawarean; Delawarian (a native or resident of Delaware)

Connecticuter (a native or resident of Connecticut)

Coloradan (a native or resident of Colorado)

Carolinian (a native or resident of the Carolinas)

Californian (a native or resident of California)

Bostonian (a native or resident of Boston)

Missourian (a native or resident of Missouri)

Arkansan; Arkansawyer (a native or resident of Arkansas)

Arizonan; Arizonian (a native or resident of Arizona)

Alaskan (a native or resident of Alaska)

Alabaman; Alabamian (a native or resident of Alabama)

Anglo-American (an American who was born in Britain or one whose ancestors were British)

Creole (a person descended from French ancestors in southern United States (especially Louisiana))

Asian American (an American who is of Asian descent)

Georgian (a native or resident of the American state of Georgia)

Montanan (a native or resident of Montana)

Mississippian (a native or resident of Mississippi)

Gopher; Minnesotan (a native or resident of Minnesota)

Michigander; Wolverine (a native or resident of Michigan)

Marylander (a native or resident of Maryland)

Down Easter; Mainer (a native or resident of Maine)

Louisianan; Louisianian (a native or resident of Louisiana)

Bluegrass Stater; Kentuckian (a native or resident of Kentucky)

Kansan (a native or resident of Kansas)

Iowan (a native or resident of Iowa)

Hoosier; Indianan (a native or resident of Indiana)

Illinoisan (a native or resident of Illinois)

Idahoan (a native or resident of Idaho)

Hawaiian (a native or resident of Hawaii)

German American (an American who was born in Germany or whose ancestors were German)

Holonyms ("American" is a member of...):

America; the States; U.S.; U.S.A.; United States; United States of America; US; USA (North American republic containing 50 states - 48 conterminous states in North America plus Alaska in northwest North America and the Hawaiian Islands in the Pacific Ocean; achieved independence in 1776)

Derivation:

American (of or relating to the United States of America or its people or language or culture)

Americanize (make American in character)

Sense 2

Meaning:

The English language as used in the United States

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Synonyms:

American; American English; American language

Hypernyms ("American" is a kind of...):

English; English language (an Indo-European language belonging to the West Germanic branch; the official language of Britain and the United States and most of the commonwealth countries)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "American"):

AAVE; African American English; African American Vernacular English; Black English; Black English Vernacular; Black Vernacular; Black Vernacular English; Ebonics (a nonstandard form of American English characteristically spoken by African Americans in the United States)

Derivation:

American (of or relating to the United States of America or its people or language or culture)

Sense 3

Meaning:

A native or inhabitant of a North American or Central American or South American country

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Hypernyms ("American" is a kind of...):

denizen; dweller; habitant; indweller; inhabitant (a person who inhabits a particular place)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "American"):

West Indian (a native or inhabitant of the West Indies)

Mesoamerican (a member of one of the various peoples inhabiting Mesoamerica)

Creole (a person of European descent born in the West Indies or Latin America)

Latin American; Latino (a native of Latin America)

North American (a native or inhabitant of North America)

South American (a native or inhabitant of South America)

Holonyms ("American" is a member of...):

North America (the nations of the North American continent collectively)

South America (the nations of the South American continent collectively)

Central America (the nations of Central America collectively)

• AMERICAN (adjective)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Of or relating to the United States of America or its people or language or culture

Classified under:

Relational adjectives (pertainyms)

Context example:

the American dream

Pertainym:

America (North American republic containing 50 states - 48 conterminous states in North America plus Alaska in northwest North America and the Hawaiian Islands in the Pacific Ocean; achieved independence in 1776)

Derivation:

America (North American republic containing 50 states - 48 conterminous states in North America plus Alaska in northwest North America and the Hawaiian Islands in the Pacific Ocean; achieved independence in 1776)

American (the English language as used in the United States)

American (a native or inhabitant of the United States)

Americanize (become American in character)

Americanize (make American in character)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Of or relating to or characteristic of the continents and islands of the Americas

Classified under:

Relational adjectives (pertainyms)

Context example:

American flora and fauna

Pertainym:

America (North America and South America and Central America)

Derivation:

America (North America and South America and Central America)

 Context examples 

And just recently, the South American country of Paraguay was certified to be malaria-free.

(The Dog's Nose Knows Malaria, Kevin Enochs/VOA)

More than 30 million Americans are exposed to hazardous sound levels on a regular basis.

(Noise, NIH: National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders)

A country in the Pacific, occupying an island in the South Pacific Ocean, east of Tonga and south of American Samoa.

(Niue, NCI Thesaurus)

A new study held by the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases found that daily aspirin therapy was significantly associated with a reduced risk in hepatitis B virus‐related liver cancer.

(An Aspirin A Day Keep Liver Cancer Away, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

But since eating three to four eggs per week is typical for many Americans, according to the paper’s dietary data, it’s a risk worth considering.

(Eggs No Longer Part of a Healthy Diet?, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

Zealandia was first named in 1995 by American scientist Bruce Luyendyk.

(Researchers Argue for Eighth Continent: Zealandia, VOA)

There’s a glimmer of hope for the American bee population.

(Study Finds Mixed News About Bee Populations, VOA)

Among African American women, using permanent dyes every five to eight weeks or more was associated with a 60% increased risk of breast cancer as compared with an 8% increased risk for white women.

(Permanent hair dye and straighteners may increase breast cancer risk, National Institutes of Health)

In fact, they explained almost 1% of the variability in the oxygen levels in European Americans, which is relatively high for complex genetic phenotypes, or traits, that are influenced by myriad variants.

(Researchers identify genetic variations linked to oxygen drops during sleep, National Institutes of Health)

Black's comments were published in the current issue of JAMA, the Journal of the American Medical Association.

(Vaccine for Meningitis Shows Some Protection Against Gonorrhea, VOA)