All-american
adj, noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 A person or thing regarded as embodying the ideal qualities of the United States of America; typically American; (specifically) a person from the United States who is courageous, heroic, honest, wholesome, etc.
"He was regarded by the other soldiers as an all-American for his courage in battle."
- 2 A person or a team, or some other thing, regarded as the best in the United States. US
"[Bennie] Oosterbaan won letters in football, basketball, and baseball, and was selected as an All-American end for three successive years."
- 3 Ellipsis of all-American athlete, player, team (chiefly sports), all-American boy, girl, person, or family (loosely, transferred sense) abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis
- 4 Ellipsis of All-American athlete, player, team (chiefly sports), All-American boy, girl, person, or family (loosely, transferred sense) abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis
- 5 Alternative letter-case form of All-American. alt-of
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- 6 Alternative letter-case form of all-American. alt-of
- 1 Comprising things that are wholly from the United States of America; completely made in the United States. not-comparable
""All-American" Transformers. Perfected first, from the stand-point of correct engineering, by proper turns radio, impedance and shielding—then, in our latest models, given the finishing touches of outward beauty that the more critical eye demanded. […] Your dealer has "All-American" Transformers."
- 2 Of a person or a team, or some other thing: regarded as the best in the United States. US, not-comparable
"He was an All-American basketball player last year."
- 3 Regarded as embodying the ideal qualities of the United States; typically American; (specifically) of a person: courageous, heroic; honest, wholesome, etc. not-comparable
"The [Davy] Crockett revival of the 1950's engineered by Walt Disney presented an all-American boy scout type as a mass-culture hero."
- 4 Alternative letter-case form of all-American. alt-of, not-comparable
- 5 Alternative letter-case form of All-American. alt-of, not-comparable
"The highly anticipated all-American matchup between Taylor Fritz and Frances Tiafoe — marking the first US Open semifinals between two US men in nearly 20 years — will cost you quite a few Honey Deuces to attend."
Example
More examples"She wanted to marry an all-American man."
Etymology
From all- + American. Americanism first recorded in the 1880s; the substantive usage originating early on as an ellipsis of all-American athlete, player, team; thereafter transferred to apply broadly to people or things as in All-American boy, girl, family.
From All- + American. Americanism first recorded in the 1880s; the substantive usage originating early on as an ellipsis of all-American athlete, player, team; thereafter transferred to apply broadly to people or things as in All-American boy, girl, family.
Related phrases
More for "all-american"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.