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
Jason D. Greenblatt, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Apr. 2025
Hardly surprisingly, the brand has already been recognized by the German Design Awards (2025).
—Gemma A. Williams, Forbes.com, 2 Apr. 2025
That film won multiple awards including four German Film Awards, two Bavarian Film Awards (Best Director and Best Cinematography), the RTS Audience Award at NIFFF, and Best Feature Film at the Fancine Fantastic Film Festival in Málaga.
—Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 2 Apr. 2025
As a native of Bohemia in Austria, as an Austrian among Germans, and as a Jew throughout all the world.
—David Denby, The Atlantic, 1 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for German
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Noun
Colonial Americans equated whiteness with British heritage, for example, excluding Germans from that category.
—Jason D. Greenblatt, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Apr. 2025
Hardly surprisingly, the brand has already been recognized by the German Design Awards (2025).
—Gemma A. Williams, Forbes.com, 2 Apr. 2025
That film won multiple awards including four German Film Awards, two Bavarian Film Awards (Best Director and Best Cinematography), the RTS Audience Award at NIFFF, and Best Feature Film at the Fancine Fantastic Film Festival in Málaga.
—Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 2 Apr. 2025
As a native of Bohemia in Austria, as an Austrian among Germans, and as a Jew throughout all the world.
—David Denby, The Atlantic, 1 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 15 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share