1
a
: a native or inhabitant of Germany
b
: a person of German descent
c
: one whose native language is German and who is a native of a country other than Germany
2
a
: the Germanic language spoken mainly in Germany, Austria, and parts of Switzerland
b
: the literary and official language of Germany
3
: a member of any of the Germanic peoples inhabiting western Europe in Roman times
4
often not capitalized
a
: a dance consisting of intricate figures that are improvised and intermingled with waltzes
b
chiefly Midland US
: a dancing party
specifically
: one at which the german is danced
: of, relating to, or characteristic of Germany, the Germans, or German
ger·man
ˈjər-mən 
: having the same parents or the same grandparents on either the maternal or paternal side
—usually used after the noun which it modifies and joined to it by a hyphen
brother-german
cousin-german
obsolete
: a near relative
Examples of German in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Terri Colby, Chicago Tribune, 22 May 2024
He's translated dozens of books from German to English, including authors such as Franz Kafka and Hans Fallada.
—Andrew Limbong, NPR, 21 May 2024
So far, the feature supports the translation of Spanish into English as well as the translation of English to German, Hindi, Italian, Russian, and Spanish.
—Emma Roth, The Verge, 21 May 2024
Matka’s replacement is Maya, a German Shorthaired Pointer who will begin work in June.
—Anika Besst, Twin Cities, 20 May 2024
North Avenue began to flourish for small businesses owners and shopkeepers with many different backgrounds, including Germans, Chinese, Croats, Russians, Jews, Austrians, Bohemians, French Canadian, Hungarians, French and Poles.
—Drake Bentley, Journal Sentinel, 20 May 2024
Going from French to German required some brain activation.
—Marlise Kast-Myers, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 May 2024
One piece of good news is that funding provided by German Films, which is celebrating its 70th anniversary, to support the international distribution of German films has been increased by Euros 200,000 ($215,000) to Euros 950,000 ($1.02 million), Baumann says.
—Leo Barraclough, Variety, 15 May 2024
In the Mercedes, German came to with her body crushed under the dashboard.
—Rachel Uranga, Los Angeles Times, 14 May 2024
Noun
When European immigrants began arriving in the United States in large numbers after 1850, Milwaukee was the destination for Germans.
—Terri Colby, Chicago Tribune, 22 May 2024
He's translated dozens of books from German to English, including authors such as Franz Kafka and Hans Fallada.
—Andrew Limbong, NPR, 21 May 2024
So far, the feature supports the translation of Spanish into English as well as the translation of English to German, Hindi, Italian, Russian, and Spanish.
—Emma Roth, The Verge, 21 May 2024
Matka’s replacement is Maya, a German Shorthaired Pointer who will begin work in June.
—Anika Besst, Twin Cities, 20 May 2024
North Avenue began to flourish for small businesses owners and shopkeepers with many different backgrounds, including Germans, Chinese, Croats, Russians, Jews, Austrians, Bohemians, French Canadian, Hungarians, French and Poles.
—Drake Bentley, Journal Sentinel, 20 May 2024
Going from French to German required some brain activation.
—Marlise Kast-Myers, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 May 2024
One piece of good news is that funding provided by German Films, which is celebrating its 70th anniversary, to support the international distribution of German films has been increased by Euros 200,000 ($215,000) to Euros 950,000 ($1.02 million), Baumann says.
—Leo Barraclough, Variety, 15 May 2024
In the Mercedes, German came to with her body crushed under the dashboard.
—Rachel Uranga, Los Angeles Times, 14 May 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'German.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near German
Cite this Entry
“German.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/German. Accessed 31 May. 2024.
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