yankee

yankee — noun

1. a word used mainly by non-Americans to refer to someone from the United States;

1.nounB1
Definition

a word used mainly by non-Americans to refer to someone from the United States; some people consider it unkind or offensive

Example

When Kian visited London, some locals referred to him as a Yankee.

refer to + as + a Yankee

Sana found it strange that strangers kept calling her a Yankee on the train.

call + object + a Yankee (object complement)

Common collocations
  • call someone a Yankee
  • referred to as a Yankee
  • Yankee from
Synonyms
  • American

    neutral, standard term for a person from the US; does not carry the informal or potentially offensive tone of Yankee

  • Yank

    shortened form of Yankee; same register and connotations, very common in British English

  • US citizen

    formal, legal term; no emotional charge, used in official contexts

Usage Note

Can be offensive depending on the speaker's tone and context. Some Americans find the term insulting, while others use it playfully about themselves. It is more commonly used by British, Australian, and other non-American speakers than by Americans themselves.

Common Mistakes

Everyone from the US is a Yankee from New York.
Not all Americans are Yankees
the term Yankee can also specifically mean someone from the northern US.' — Yankee has two distinct meanings: a general informal term for any American, and a more specific term for a person from the northern states.

2. a label for someone born or living in the north-eastern part of the United State

2.nounB2
Definition

a label for someone born or living in the north-eastern part of the United States, particularly the New England region

Example

Rafael grew up in Boston and proudly calls himself a Yankee.

call + oneself + a Yankee (self-identification)

Jude moved from Maine to Georgia and heard a store clerk whisper Yankee as he walked past.

whisper + [noun] + as clause (covert labeling)

Common collocations
  • Yankee from
  • called a Yankee
  • Yankee family
Synonyms
  • Northerner

    neutral term for someone from the northern US; lacks the historical and cultural connotations of Yankee

  • New Englander

    more specific than Yankee; refers only to people from the New England states (Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut)

Antonyms
  • Southerner

    a person from the southern US; the traditional regional counterpart to a Yankee

Usage Note

This sense is most common within the US itself, especially in the South, where it can carry historical or cultural weight connected to the American Civil War. Distinguish from sense 1: sense 1 refers to any American (used from outside the US), while sense 2 specifies a US northerner (used mainly within the US).

Common Mistakes

My friend from Texas is a Yankee because she is American.
My friend from Texas is not a Yankee; she is from the South.
Yankee in this sense refers to someone from the northern US, not any American.

Word family

  • Yank
    nounB2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Yankee (sense 1), Yank, American, and US citizen all refer to a person from the United States, but they differ sharply in register and connotation. American is the neutral, universal term — appropriate in any setting, from casual chat to official documents. Yank is a clipped form of Yankee, most common in British and Australian English; it carries the same informal, sometimes teasing tone as Yankee. US citizen is the formal, legal designation used on passports and government forms; it sounds stiff in everyday conversation. Yankee itself is the most loaded of the four — it can be playful among friends but may offend if used by a stranger, particularly toward an American traveling abroad. For example: 'Are you an American?' is a straightforward question. 'Are you a Yankee?' might make the listener wonder if you mean it as an insult.

American ↗YankUS citizen

Common collocations

Nouns

Prepositions

Etymology

DutchEnglish

The origin of Yankee is uncertain, but the most widely accepted theory traces it to Dutch names used in colonial New York (New Amsterdam). 'Janke' (pronounced yahn-kuh) is a Dutch diminutive of Jan (John), and 'Jan Kees' was a nickname — possibly for Dutch settlers or for the English colonists around Connecticut. British soldiers are thought to have picked up the term during the French and Indian War (1754–1763) and applied it to New England colonists. By the time of the American Revolution, Yankee had become a nickname for all Americans in the eyes of the British.