american
american — 形容詞
1. connected with the United States — its people, places, products, culture, or gov
美國的
與美國人民、地點或文化有關的
connected with the United States — its people, places, products, culture, or government.
Ilya drives a big American truck made in Detroit.
Ilya 開著一輛底特律製造的大型美國卡車。
describes products and goods made in the USA
Priya married an American man from Oregon last summer.
Priya 去年夏天嫁給了一位來自奧勒岡州的美國男子。
describes a person's nationality (USA)
The shop sells American snacks like peanut butter and Hershey's chocolate.
這家店販售花生醬和好時巧克力等美國零食。
My uncle works at the American embassy in Tokyo.
我叔叔在東京的美國大使館工作。
Hip-hop and jazz are two famous American music styles.
嘻哈和爵士是兩種著名的美國音樂風格。
用法筆記
Most often refers to the USA, not the wider continent. When a learner needs to be precise about North or South America as a continent, use sense 2 or say 'from Canada / Mexico / Brazil' etc.
常見錯誤
2. connected with the whole continent of North America or South America, including
美洲的
與南北美洲整片大陸相關的
connected with the whole continent of North America or South America, including countries such as Canada, Mexico, Brazil and Argentina.
Llamas and jaguars are two well-known American animals.
駱馬和美洲豹是兩種廣為人知的美洲動物。
wildlife native to the continents of the Americas
The professor studies ancient American civilizations like the Aiko and Inca.
這位教授研究馬雅與印加等古代美洲文明。
refers to peoples or cultures across the Americas
Soccer is the most popular sport in many South American countries.
足球是許多南美洲國家最受歡迎的運動。
Coffee, potatoes, and tomatoes all started as American crops thousands of years ago.
咖啡、馬鈴薯和番茄幾千年前都是源於美洲的作物。
- Pan-American
formal, stresses unity across all countries of the Americas
用法筆記
Often appears as 'North American', 'South American', 'Latin American', or 'Native American' to avoid being mistaken for sense 1 (USA-only). Distinguish from sense 1 by checking whether the context covers more than just the United States.
常見錯誤
american — 名詞
1. a person who was born in the United States or who holds US citizenship.
美國人
在美國出生或持有美國國籍的人
a person who was born in the United States or who holds US citizenship.
About forty Americans live in our small fishing village in Taiwan.
大約有四十位美國人住在我們台灣的小漁村裡。
countable, plural form 'Americans'
Xander became an American after passing his citizenship test in Houston.
Xander 在休士頓通過公民考試後成為美國人。
'become an American' — gain US citizenship
Many Americans eat turkey and pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving Day.
許多美國人在感恩節吃火雞和南瓜派。
Aiko is an American, but her parents were born in Vietnam.
Aiko 是美國人，但她的父母是在越南出生的。
- US citizen
more formal and precise; common in legal or news contexts
- Yank
informal and sometimes joking, used mainly by British and Australian speakers
文法句型
an American
Americans (plural)
用法筆記
Always capitalised. Takes the indefinite article 'an' (not 'a') because it begins with a vowel sound. Plural 'Americans' is used for groups; singular often appears with 'an'.
常見錯誤
2. the variety of English spoken in the United States, especially when compared wit
美式英語
美國人所使用的英語變體
the variety of English spoken in the United States, especially when compared with British English.
In American, you say 'elevator' and 'sidewalk' instead of 'lift' and 'pavement'.
在美式英語裡，你會說 elevator 和 sidewalk，而不是 lift 和 pavement。
'in American' — inside the US English variety
Lin's textbook teaches American, so she pronounces 'water' with a soft t.
Lin 的課本教的是美式英語，所以她把 water 的 t 發得很輕。
uncountable; no article before 'American'
After ten years in Boston, Pierre now speaks fluent American.
在波士頓住了十年後，Pierre 現在能說一口流利的美式英語。
The dictionary marks 'color' as American and 'colour' as British.
字典把 color 標為美式拼法，把 colour 標為英式拼法。
- American English
the full, neutral term preferred in textbooks and dictionaries
- US English
common in language teaching and software locale settings (en-US)
- British English
the variety of English used in the UK; standard contrast partner
文法句型
in American
speak American
用法筆記
Uncountable and informal — most reference books prefer the fuller name 'American English'. Distinguish from sense 1 (a person): if you can replace the word with 'a US citizen', you have sense 1; if you can replace it with 'US English', you have sense 2.