Hispanic

adjective

His·​pan·​ic hi-ˈspa-nik How to pronounce Hispanic (audio)
1
: of, relating to, or being a person of Latin American descent and especially of Cuban, Mexican, or Puerto Rican origin living in the U.S.
2
: of or relating to the people, speech, or culture of Spain
Hispanic noun
Hispanicism noun
Hispanicist noun
Hispanicize transitive verb

Examples of Hispanic in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The rates were notably lower for other racial groups: 38.1% of Asian American decedents, 37.4% of Black decedents, 38.3% of Hispanic decedents and 37.1% of North American Native decedents. James Dismond, Forbes.com, 14 Apr. 2025 Still, with nearly 2.6 million living in the U.S., Salvadorans are the third-largest Hispanic group in the country and portions of the population may be vulnerable to mass-deportation efforts. David Catanese, Miami Herald, 14 Apr. 2025 About half of Constellation’s US customers are Hispanic, and some have stopped going out to restaurants and gathering in large groups out of fear of being swept up in deportations, the company’s CEO said. Andrew Torgan, CNN Money, 13 Apr. 2025 In 2018, Palacios founded the Latinx Education Collaborative, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting Latino youth in the classroom and creating pathways to increase Hispanic representation in the education profession. J.m. Banks, Kansas City Star, 12 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for Hispanic

Word History

Etymology

Latin hispanicus, from Hispania Iberian Peninsula, Spain

First Known Use

1584, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of Hispanic was in 1584

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Cite this Entry

“Hispanic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Hispanic. Accessed 19 Apr. 2025.

Kids Definition

Hispanic

adjective
His·​pan·​ic his-ˈpan-ik How to pronounce Hispanic (audio)
1
: of or relating to the people, culture, or speech of Spain
2
: of, relating to, or being a person living in the U.S. from or whose ancestors were from Latin America
Hispanic noun
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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