all-Amer·i·can
ˌȯl-ə-ˈmer-ə-kən 
-ˈme-rə-
1
a
or less commonly all-America
ˌȯl-ə-ˈmer-ə-kə
: selected (as by a poll of journalists) as one of the best in the U.S. in a particular category at a particular time
-ˈme-rə-
an all-American quarterback
b
: having only all-American participants
an all-American basketball team
2
: composed wholly of American elements
3
: representative or typical of the U.S. or its ideals
an all-American boy
her all-American optimism
4
: of or relating to the American nations as a group
1
or less commonly all-America
: one (such as an athlete) that is voted all-American
2
: one that has all-American qualities or characteristics
a clean-cut all-American
Examples of all-American in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 23 Oct. 2025
Preppy style—like its most notable modern progenitor, Ralph Lauren—is coded as all-American.
—Eric Twardzik, Robb Report, 22 Oct. 2025
oregonlive, 23 Mar. 2023
As in David Lynch’s Blue Velvet (1986), a young man descends into a twilight zone behind an explicitly all-American façade.
—Ed Park, The New York Review of Books, 14 Mar. 2023
See All Example Sentences for all-American
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Adjective
In its eerie, uncomfortable depiction of Derry as a toxic version of the all-American town, the series is sometimes more powerful than when Pennywise jumps at the screen.
—Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 23 Oct. 2025
Preppy style—like its most notable modern progenitor, Ralph Lauren—is coded as all-American.
—Eric Twardzik, Robb Report, 22 Oct. 2025
Noun
Cole recalled this time as a stab at conventional all-American life – at least on the surface.
—oregonlive, 23 Mar. 2023
As in David Lynch’s Blue Velvet (1986), a young man descends into a twilight zone behind an explicitly all-American façade.
—Ed Park, The New York Review of Books, 14 Mar. 2023
See All Example Sentences for all-American
Cite this Entry
“All-American.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/all-American. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
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