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Glite Dictionary
Spanish-American War

Spanish-American War

5 5.8
A 1898 war between the United States and Spain that gives U.S. territories like Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines
  • proper noun
  • /ˈspænɪʃ əˈmɛrɪkən wɔr/
translation icon : Guerra hispanoamericana
  • In 1898, the United States was drawn into the Spanish-American War by a process not too dissimilar, then known as "yellow journalism."
  • Spanish-American War of 1898
  • Philippines after the Spanish-American War
  • Spanish-American War aftermath

Examples

  • - The Spanish-American War ended in 1898.

    Jack London’s Son of the Wolf (2024)

  • The impact of the Spanish-American War was far-reaching, changing the political landscape of the Caribbean and Pacific regions.

  • One part of this happened at the end of the Spanish-American War.

    Blog text (24)

  • America is more vulnerable than she has been since the Spanish-American War.

    Blog text (2)

  • Served with distinction during the Spanish-American War.

    Big Jake (1971)

  • The history of Puerto Rico's connection to the United States dates back to the Spanish-American War.

    Blog text (21)

  • After the Spanish-American War in 1898, US troops were stationed in Cuba, Puerto Rico, Panama, and the Philippines.

    Academic text (2012)

  • The Spanish-American War, fought in 1898, led to the U.S. gaining control of Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines.

  • Many historians consider the Spanish-American War a pivotal moment in U.S. history due to its territorial expansion.

Synonyms

Spanish War
vsSpanish-American War
1 4.9

A 1898 war between the United States and Spain that gave the US Puerto Rico, Guam and the Philippines

is the fuller, more widely used name for the same 1898 conflict

Surface Forms

Spanish-American War main

Morphology

Spanish-American + war

The phrase is compositionally built: 'Spanish-American' signals a relation between Spain and America and 'war' denotes an armed conflict, so a learner who knows those words will infer it refers to a war involving Spain and America. While specific historical details (date, outcomes, territories) are not derivable from the words alone, the basic referent is predictable across languages and standard naming patterns for wars.

Etymology

Spanish-American War comes from the simple idea that it was a war between Spanish and American forces. It happened in 1898 and ended with the United States taking control of places like Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines, so the name means 'a war fought between Spain and the United States'.