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
Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 13 Apr. 2025
The German achieved the Calendar Golden Grand Slam, winning all four major tournaments — the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and U.S. Open — and Olympic gold in the same year.
—Eduardo Tansley, New York Times, 13 Apr. 2025
Claudia Major, senior vice president for transatlantic security at the German Marshall Fund, told CNN that the advice from the countries must be taken seriously.
—Sophie Tanno, CNN Money, 12 Apr. 2025
Friday’s pitching matchup Rockies RHP German Marquez (0-1, 2.45 ERA)
The 31-year-old Venezuelan walked six batters while allowing four runs—three earned—in five innings in a loss to the Athletics.
—Jeff Sanders, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for German
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Noun
Stroll along German Street to marvel at centuries-old Victorian structures and pop into specialty shops.
—Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 13 Apr. 2025
The German achieved the Calendar Golden Grand Slam, winning all four major tournaments — the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and U.S. Open — and Olympic gold in the same year.
—Eduardo Tansley, New York Times, 13 Apr. 2025
Claudia Major, senior vice president for transatlantic security at the German Marshall Fund, told CNN that the advice from the countries must be taken seriously.
—Sophie Tanno, CNN Money, 12 Apr. 2025
Friday’s pitching matchup Rockies RHP German Marquez (0-1, 2.45 ERA)
The 31-year-old Venezuelan walked six batters while allowing four runs—three earned—in five innings in a loss to the Athletics.
—Jeff Sanders, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for German
Cite this Entry
“German.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/German. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.
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