English Explanatory Dictionary

Uncle Sam

English dictionary entry

Meanings

name
  1. A personification of the United States federal government or (rare) citizens.

Pronunciation

/ˌʌŋkl̩ ˈsæm/ /ˌʌŋkəl ˈsæm/ /ˌəŋ-/ En-us-Uncle Sam.oga

Word forms

Uncle Sam

Etymology

From uncle + Sam (diminutive of the male name Samuel), probably based on the initialism U.S. of the United States. While folk etymology suggests that the term was named after Samuel Wilson (1766–1854), a meat packer from Troy, New York, who supplied the United States Army with canned meat during the War of 1812 between the United States and the United Kingdom, the Oxford English Dictionary notes there is no evidence that this is the case.

Related words

John Bull Johnny Canuck Uncle Joe Uncle Sugar

Derived words

Uncle Scam Uncle Sham Uncle Shmuel Uncle Sucker
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