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American

American

∞ 1.0
Relating to the United States, its people and culture
  • adjective
  • /əˈmɛrɪkən/
: estadounidense
  • So this is from the American Heart Association.
  • African American
  • Native American
  • American history

The concept of American culture as a single thing.

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Examples

  • The guitar has been the defining musical instrument in American popular music for the past six decades.

    Academic text (2011)
  • Town Square magazine wanted stories about small American towns and what made them special.

    Academic text (2011)
  • The concept of American culture as a single thing.

  • I spent time in the American Art Museum.

  • We're trying to make Great American things again.

  • Welcome to a new era for American infrastructure.

  • In fact, their highly critical perspective on American history is the predominant one.

    Academic text (2011)
  • That is why the onus is on me, on us, the American government, to shield its citizens.

  • Cabrini was the first American saint, and is the patron saint of all immigrants.

  • You can find many famous artists displayed in the American Art Museum.

Compounds

639 1.3

A person in the United States whose family comes from Africa, often for many generations

220 2.8

A person in the United States whose family came from Africa, often brought there as slaves

145 3.9

The idea that anyone in the United States can become successful through hard work

125 3.1

An idea that anyone in the US can become successful by working hard

A person whose family lived in North or South America before Europeans arrived

69 1.0

A piece of cloth that stands for the United States with thirteen stripes and fifty stars

An American person whose family comes from Africa

A person in the United States whose family comes from Asia

A war from 1775 to 1783 when thirteen colonies fought Britain and formed the United States

30 3.1

A person who lives in the United States and was born in Mexico or has family from Mexico

14 3.5

A large U.S. group of military veterans who support each other and promote national pride

13 3.2

A person in the United States whose family comes from a Spanish-speaking country, often from Latin America or Spain

A team sport where two teams try to carry or pass an oval ball into the other team's end zone

An agreement from 1994 that made trade easier between the United States, Canada, and Mexico

A war in the United States from 1861 to 1865 between the North and South over slavery and states' rights

8 2.0

English spoken and written in the United States with its own words, spelling, and accents

An American born in Britain or whose family comes from Britain

7 1.3

A soft, mild cheese made in factories and used on burgers and sandwiches

A person who comes from Latin America

A person from North America, for example Canada, the United States, or Mexico

A 1898 war between the United States and Spain that gives U.S. territories like Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines

A stock market in New York City where smaller companies trade shares

An international group of most countries in the Americas that cooperate on military, economic, social, and cultural issues

A person in the United States born in Germany or with family from Germany

4 3.2

Relating to people in the United States whose family came from Germany and their culture

4 1.0

One of the fifty parts of the United States with its own government and laws

English that people speak and write in the United States with different words and sounds

A language of hand signs and body movements used by deaf people in the United States and parts of Canada

A group of islands that belong to the United States in the South Pacific east of Samoa

A person from Central America

2 3.0

A large North American bird with a white head and dark body that often eats fish

The western United States in the 1700s and 1800s where settlers explored and lived

A war between the United States and Mexico from 1846 to 1848 that gave the United States large Southwest lands

A person who lives in or comes from South America

2 5.5

An American born in France or with family from France

A large dark reptile with a wide snout that lives in southeastern United States swamps

1 3.0

A person in the United States who speaks Spanish as their first language or whose family speaks Spanish

Music created by Black Americans, like spirituals, blues, and jazz

A war from 1775 to 1783 when the American colonies fought to become independent from Britain

1 5.1

A person from the native peoples of South America before European arrival

Team sport with two 11-player teams trying to move the ball into the other end zone by running or passing

1 6.8

A person who dislikes the United States or its policies

An English translation of the Bible based on the King James Version first published in the United States in 1901

A strong, muscular dog breed from the United States with a short coat and high energy

1 9.6

A US political group in the 1850s that wanted to limit immigrant and Catholic influence

American bison
  • Specialized
1 3.3

A large shaggy brown animal that lives on the North American plains

A large eastern North American tree that makes edible nuts and strong wood

A large reddish-brown cockroach that often lives in warm, humid places and can fly short distances

1 4.6

A large shade tree from eastern North America with wide, arching branches

American buffalo
  • Specialized
1 2.3

A large, shaggy brown bison that lives on the North American plains

A strong, stocky terrier dog from the United States with a short coat

1 7.0

A North American woodland plant with a root used as medicine like the Asian kind

The usual way people in the United States write certain English words

A war from 1775 to 1783 when the American colonies won freedom from Britain

1 6.7

A small North American bird that hunts small animals with a reddish-brown back, blue-grey wings, and black face markings

The part of Niagara Falls on the United States side in western New York

1 5.6

A way of speaking English used by many Black people in the United States

1 3.3

A large glossy black bird found in North America that makes a loud cawing sound and is very smart

1 4.0

A common brown or grey toad with bumpy skin found in North America

1 5.5

A tree with shiny prickly leaves and bright red berries used for Christmas decoration

A group of islands in the Caribbean that are part of the United States

A former group of unions in the United States that merged in 1955 to form the AFL-CIO

American black bear
  • Specialized
1 3.4

A medium-sized North American bear usually with black or dark brown fur and less aggressive than brown bears

American robin
  • Specialized
1 3.3

A common North American songbird with a red-orange chest

1 5.6

A room price that includes three meals a day

A fast, hoofed animal from western North America called the pronghorn

A medium tree from eastern and southern United States that makes orange fruit that are sour until fully ripe

1 9.9

A keyboard instrument that makes sound when air is pulled through thin metal strips, making a warm vibrating sound

A way of speaking English used by many African Americans with its own grammar, words, and sounds

A large group of Baptist churches in the northern United States

1 3.3

Meat from a large lobster that has big tender claws

A large extinct elephant-like animal with cone-shaped teeth that lived in North America long ago

American beech
  • Specialized
1 4.9

A North American tree that loses its leaves in autumn, with smooth gray bark and edible nuts

How American

patriotic
116 3.3
American
∞ 1.0
un-American
  • US
43 7.5
anti-American
  • Offensive
63 6.2

Surface Forms

American positive

Morphology

American = America (transparent) = America + an

The adjective is a straightforward formation from the proper noun 'America' with productive suffix '-an', so learners who know 'America' can readily infer the meaning.

Etymology

American comes from America, the name given to the lands after the Italian explorer Amerigo Vespucci. Because the United States uses 'America' in its name, American often means 'relating to the United States', its people, language, or culture.