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
Jack Smart, Peoplemag, 20 June 2024
Heavy rainfall, large hail stones and gale-force winds were in the forcast, according to the German Weather Service, which also warned of a tornado risk in the west of the country.
—Ben Church, CNN, 18 June 2024
Romantic poetry—the poetry of Shelley and Keats, in English, of Novalis and Hölderlin, in German—first diagnosed this fracture (the argument goes) and offered a way to heal it.
—Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 17 June 2024
Wilson also said anyone is welcome to join the choir and singers don’t have to speak German to sing.
—Sean Krofssik, Hartford Courant, 16 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for German 
Noun
Military dog handlers introduce us to two beautiful but fearsome German Shepherds who proceed to chase and tackle another demonstrator before being ordered to heel.
—Jack Smart, Peoplemag, 20 June 2024
Heavy rainfall, large hail stones and gale-force winds were in the forcast, according to the German Weather Service, which also warned of a tornado risk in the west of the country.
—Ben Church, CNN, 18 June 2024
Romantic poetry—the poetry of Shelley and Keats, in English, of Novalis and Hölderlin, in German—first diagnosed this fracture (the argument goes) and offered a way to heal it.
—Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 17 June 2024
Wilson also said anyone is welcome to join the choir and singers don’t have to speak German to sing.
—Sean Krofssik, Hartford Courant, 16 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for German
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'German.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near German
Cite this Entry
“German.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/German. Accessed 4 Jul. 2024.
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