Americans are citizens of the United States of America.

The country is home to people of many different national origins.

As a result, Americans do not equate their nationality with ethnicity, but with citizenship and allegiance.

Although citizens make up the majority of Americans, non-citizen residents, dual citizens, and expatriates may also claim an American identity.

English-speakers, and even speakers of many other languages, typically use the term "American" to exclusively mean people of the United States; this develops from its original use to differentiate English people of the American colonies from English people of England.

The word "American" can also refer to people from the Americas in general.