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
Saman Shafiq, USA Today, 26 Apr. 2025
The German is on course to rack up 190 points across two seasons and that has impressed his superiors.
—Beren Cross, New York Times, 25 Apr. 2025
Gunther was made famous by Kerr’s Berlin Noir trilogy comprising March Violets, The Pale Criminal and A German Requiem, all of which were published around the end of the Cold War in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
—Max Goldbart, Deadline, 24 Apr. 2025
The livestream of the funeral and related events will be available on its official YouTube channel in English and also available in Italian, Spanish, French, Portuguese and German.
—Todd Spangler, Variety, 24 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for German
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Noun
Coverage will be available in English, Italian, Spanish, French, Portuguese and German.
—Saman Shafiq, USA Today, 26 Apr. 2025
The German is on course to rack up 190 points across two seasons and that has impressed his superiors.
—Beren Cross, New York Times, 25 Apr. 2025
Gunther was made famous by Kerr’s Berlin Noir trilogy comprising March Violets, The Pale Criminal and A German Requiem, all of which were published around the end of the Cold War in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
—Max Goldbart, Deadline, 24 Apr. 2025
The livestream of the funeral and related events will be available on its official YouTube channel in English and also available in Italian, Spanish, French, Portuguese and German.
—Todd Spangler, Variety, 24 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 1 May. 2025.
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