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
David Ornstein, The Athletic, 20 Jan. 2025
Find Out the Unique Name She Chose Off a Grave
According to the German Personal Status Act, however, registrars must register the name and the gender of the child in the birth register, the Library of Congress Blogs reported.
—Escher Walcott, People.com, 20 Jan. 2025
The German imposed several midweek, as the Catalans followed on from smashing Real Madrid 5-2 in the Spanish Super Cup final in Jeddah to net the same amount of goals past Real Betis and advance to the Copa del Rey quarterfinals.
—Tom Sanderson, Forbes, 18 Jan. 2025
Hamilton is accused of stabbing his parents to death just months after breaking into a German Embassy and threatening to kill the president, according to a 2011 news article by WBTV.
—Kallie Cox, Charlotte Observer, 17 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for German 
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Noun
The German was appointed to replace Gareth Southgate in October before officially starting his role at the beginning of this month.
—David Ornstein, The Athletic, 20 Jan. 2025
Find Out the Unique Name She Chose Off a Grave
According to the German Personal Status Act, however, registrars must register the name and the gender of the child in the birth register, the Library of Congress Blogs reported.
—Escher Walcott, People.com, 20 Jan. 2025
The German imposed several midweek, as the Catalans followed on from smashing Real Madrid 5-2 in the Spanish Super Cup final in Jeddah to net the same amount of goals past Real Betis and advance to the Copa del Rey quarterfinals.
—Tom Sanderson, Forbes, 18 Jan. 2025
Hamilton is accused of stabbing his parents to death just months after breaking into a German Embassy and threatening to kill the president, according to a 2011 news article by WBTV.
—Kallie Cox, Charlotte Observer, 17 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for German
Dictionary Entries Near German
Cite this Entry
“German.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/German. Accessed 23 Jan. 2025.
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