| Neologism |
Comments |
First appeared |
| Moccasin | Probably from Powhatan. | 1610s |
| Moose | From an unidentified Native American language. | 1610s |
| Opossum | Also possum, from Powhatan. | 1610s |
| Persimmon | Powhatan. | 1610s |
| Raccoon | Powhatan | 1610s |
| Tomahawk | Powhatan. | 1610s |
| Pow wow | Probably Narragansett; at this point retained original sense of shaman. Current sense from 1812. | 1620s |
| Creek | To mean a 'small stream'; previous to this it meant an inlet. | 1620s |
| Hominy | Probably from Powhatan. | 1629 |
| Papoose | Algonquian. | 1630s |
| Skunk | Algonquian. | 1630s |
| Wampum | Algonquian. | 1630s |
| Passageway | | 1640s |
| Help | As used to refer to servants, and later, employees in general. | 1640s |
| Cranberry | | 1640s |
| Birchbark | | 1640s |
| Chomp | | 1640s |
| Squash | The vegetable; from Narraganset language. The verb is unrelated. | 1640s |
| Raising | When used to refer to erecting a building, e.g., 'barn raising'. | 1650s |
| Huckleberry | | 1660s |
| Lumber | Meaning 'wood cut into planks'. The verb meaning 'to move clumsily' existed in England. | 1660s |
| Blaze | A cut made on a tree to mark a trail; the verb form (as in 'blaze a trail') appeared in 1750. | 1660s |
| Hickory | | 1670s |
| Woodchuck | From Cree, originally meant a marten. | 1670s |
| Terrapin | Algonquian. | 1670s |
| Nubbin | At this time it referred specifically to a stunted ear of corn. | 1690s |
| Sleigh | | 1703 |
| Cookie | | 1703 |
| Dory | A small, flat-bottomed boat. | 1709 |
| Ticket | To refer to a political party's list of candidates. | 1711 |
| Catnip | | 1712 |
| Pecan | From Cree for 'nut'. | 1712 |
| Lacrosse | | 1718 |
| Killdeer | | 1731 |
| Gubernatorial | | 1734 |
| Applesauce | | 1739 |
| Johnny-cake | | 1739 |
| Hoe-cake | | 1745 |
| Chore | | 1751 |
| Chowder | "A favorite dish in New England, made of fish, pork, onions, and biscuit stewed together. Cider and champagne are sometimes added." | 1751 |
| Quahog | Appeared as 'poquauhock' as early as 1643. | 1753 |
| Riffle | | 1754 |
| Stoop | The raised platform in front of a house. | 1755 |
| Collard | At this time referred to cabbage. | 1755 |
| Coyote | | 1759 |
| Lengthy | A much disparaged heathen neologism. A proper Englishman used 'long'. | 1759 |
| Totem | Algonquian. | 1760 |
| Caucus | | 1763 |
| Banjo | | 1764 |
| Canebreak | | 1770 |
| Underbrush | In England they used 'undergrowth'. | 1775 |
| Nohow | | 1775 |
| Cuss | Noun: 'Troublesome person or animal'. The verb 'to cuss' did not appear until 1815. | 1775 |
| Eggnog | | 1775 |
| Around | In the sense of 'around this area', 'moving around'. In England they would say 'about', and reserve 'around' for referring to circumference. | 1776 |
| Crabby | In the sense of 'grouchy'. | 1776 |
| Indian summer | | 1778 |
| Americanism | | 1781 |
| Appraisal | | 1784 |
| Rare | When applied to meat. In England it was only used to refer to eggs. | 1784 |
| Tarnation | | 1784 |
| Gawk | | 1785 |
| Eventuate | | 1788 |
| Anti-American | | 1788 |
| Federalism | | 1788 |
| Lobby | In the political sense. | 1790s |
| Eraser | At this time the eraser was a knife for scrapping ink off the page; the rubber eraser appeared in 1858. | 1790 |
| Pemmican | From Cree. | 1791 |
| Calaboose | | 1792 |
| Boughten | Irregular past participle of buy, now obsolete. | 1793 |
| Coleslaw | | 1794 |
| Swat | To hit. | 1796 |
| Oxbow | A curve in a river. | 1797 |
| Spat | A fight. | 1804 |
| Gavel | | 1805 |
| Cruller | | 1805 |
| Hydrant | | 1806 |
| Suspenders | | 1806 |
| Dido | As in 'to cut a dido'. | 1807 |
| Stump | To mean 'baffle'. | 1807 |
| Lasso | Verb recorded 1907, noun 1908. | 1807 |
| Rowdy | As a noun. The adjectival form appeared in 1819. | 1808 |
| Grit | To mean 'pluck', 'moxie'. | 1808 |
| Bushwhacker | | 1809 |
| Doughnut | | 1809 |
| Jollification | | 1809 |
| General store | | 1810 |
| Drug store | | 1810 |
| Spittoon | Previously called a 'spitting box'. | 1811 |
| Gerrymander | | 1812 |
| Powwow | In current sense. Previously meant 'shaman', then 'mystical meeting'. | 1812 |
| Frontiersman | | 1814 |
| Honk | Originally used for the sound a goose makes; co-opted for automobile horns in 1895. | 1814 |
| Chambray | From the French city Cambrai. | 1814 |
| Keno | | 1814 |
| Disremember | | 1815 |
| Boost | | 1815 |
| Ornery | At this time meant 'ordinary', 'plain', or 'ugly'. Sense of 'mean' appeared in the 1860s. | 1816 |
| Clearing | To refer to an area in a forest that has been cleared of trees. | 1818 |
| Un-American | | 1818 |
| Citified | | 1819 |
| Bobwhite | The North American Partridge. | 1819 |
| Bakery | Replacing 'bakehouse' | 1820s |
| Shotgun | | 1821 |
| Potpie | | 1823 |
| Flunk | | 1823 |
| Brash | | 1824 |
| Maple syrup | | 1824 |
| Rile | As in 'rile up'; a variation on the proper English 'roil'. | 1825 |
| Intercontinental | | 1825 |
| Gouge | In the sense of 'swindle'. | 1826 |
| Firewater | | 1826 |
| Pod | To mean a herd of whales or seals. | 1827 |
| Enthuse | | 1827 |
| Mail | As a verb; in England they use 'post'. | 1828 |
| Splurge | | 1828 |
| Cupcake | | 1828 |
| Siding | Boarding on the side of a building. | 1829 |
| Cahoots | | 1829 |
| Mosey | | 1829 |
| Faze | | 1830 |
| Have a chip on one's shoulder | | 1830 |
| Preempt | | 1830 |
| Hoosier | | 1830 |
| Dander | To mean temper. | 1831 |
| Snoop | | 1832 |
| Hallway | | 1832 |
| Gulch | | 1832 |
| Casket | To mean 'coffin'. Previously, a casket was a jewel-box or small chest. | 1832 |
| Valedictorian | | 1832 |
| Horse sense | | 1832 |
| Mugwump | | 1832 |
| Self-made man | | 1832 |
| Greased lightning | | 1832 |
| Lariat | | 1832 |
| Conniption | | 1833 |
| Blamed | In the sense of 'confounded' (as a euphemism for 'damned'). | 1833 |
| Boodle | 'A crowd'; but see 1858. | 1833 |
| Goober | To mean 'peanut'. | 1833 |
| Sassy | Alteration of 'saucy'. | 1833 |
| Root hog or die | | 1834 |
| Chipper | To mean 'lively'. | 1834 |
| Poker | The card game. | 1834 |
| Catawampusly | An intensifier of uncertain meaning; morphed into a noun, catawampus, by 1843. | 1834 |
| Chickadee | Previously known as the 'black-capped titmouse'. | 1834 |
| Schoolmarm | | 1834 |
| Cute | When used to mean 'pretty'. | 1834 |
| Discombobulate | | 1834 |
| Graham crackers | | 1834 |
| Jack o'lantern | The Jack o'lantern is a English evil spirit, but the carved pumpkin is American. | 1834 |
| Induct | In the sense of 'bring into the military'. | 1834 |
| Galleywest | Now obsolete. | 1835 |
| Huckleberry | 'A person of little consequence'. Now obsolete. | 1835 |
| Clambake | | 1835 |
| Jigger | | 1836 |
| Sucker | 'An easily fooled person'. | 1836 |
| Sectionalism | | 1836 |
| Bartender | | 1836 |
| Seafood | | 1836 |
| Junction | 'The place where two things meet'; originally used to refer to railway tracks. | 1836 |
| Bogus | At this time used only for counterfeit money. | 1838 |
| Buster | Originally anything large, esp. a man of great strength. | 1838 |
| Antsy | | 1838 |
| Ante | In poker; as a noun in 1838, and then as a verb in 1846. | 1838 |
| Knowhow | | 1838 |
| Freighter | To mean the ship; previously, it referred to the person loading the freight. | 1839 |
| Skeeter | | 1839 |
| Bird | An exceptionally clever or accomplished person. | 1839 |
| Fixings | To refer to food and garnishings. | 1839 |
| Bumper | Originally used for train cars, used for automobiles by 1901. | 1839 |
| Kite | To write an invalid check. | 1839 |
| Hooker | | 1840s or 1850s |
| Chop-chop | Pidgin English, from Chinese k'wa-k'wa. | 1840s |
| Hang | In the idiom 'to get the hang of something'. | 1840s |
| Fellowship | In the religious sense; 'to hold communion with'; 'to hold fellowship with' | 1840s |
| Root beer | | 1841 |
| Bunkum | To mean 'nonsense'. Before this, it was used to refer to a congressman's home district. | 1841 |
| Saloon | To refer to a drinking establishment. | 1841 |
| Rubber | To refer to an overshoe. | 1842 |
| Catawampus | A hobgoblin; meaning has changed multiple times, see 1864, 1873. | 1843 |
| Curlicue | | 1843 |
| Chewing gum | | 1843 |
| Craps | The dice game. | 1843 |
| Bicentennial | 'Bicentenary' seems to have been the more popular term in England. | 1843 |
| Bonanza | | 1844 |
| Billionaire | | 1844 |
| Amish | | 1844 |
| Deckhand | | 1844 |
| Chaps | Cowboy chaps, that is. | 1844 |
| Inchworm | | 1844 |
| Loco | | 1844 |
| Incommunicado | | 1844 |
| Blazer | 'Something that attracts attention'. The meaning of a jacket is British university slang from 1880. | 1845 |
| Knock your socks off | | 1845 |
| Josh | Meaning 'to make fun of', 'to banter'. | 1845 |
| Bedspread | | 1845 |
| Bender | 'Drinking bout'; perhaps from the Scottish bender, meaning a heavy drinker. | 1846 |
| Snollygoster | Now obsolete. | 1846 |
| Fizzle | To refer to a failure, and latter, to the sound. American college slang. (Before this time it referred to passing gas without sound). | 1846 |
| Euchre | | 1846 |
| Road-runner | To refer to the long-tailed crested desert cuckoo. | 1847 |
| Doorknob | | 1847 |
| Bat | In the sense of 'to bat an eye'. | 1847 |
| Guy | Obviously, an English word, but at this time Americans started using it to mean a 'fellow', with no pejorative sense. | 1847 |
| Sequoia | In honor of Sequoya (a.k.a. George Guess), the developer of written Cherokee. | 1847 |
| Logy | | 1848 |
| Slowpoke | | 1848 |
| Sorehead | | 1848 |
| Stag | Referring to a males-only event (as in 'stag party'). | 1848 |
| Billy | To refer to a bugler's crowbar; sense of billy club first used in 1856 | 1848 |
| Hooky | | 1848 |
| Woodsy | | 1848 |
| Boxcar | | 1856 |
| Indeedy | | 1856 |
| Chow | | 1856 |
| Landslide | The English used 'landslip'. | 1856 |
| Greaser | Derogatory slang for Mexicans. | 1849 |
| Katzenjammer | A hangover. | 1849 |
| Grocery | To refer to a grocer's shop; the word had long been used to refer to the wares the grocer sells. In America these wares started to use the plural, groceries. | 1850s |
| Voodoo | | 1850 |
| Buddy | | 1850 |
| Sawbuck | To mean a ten dollar bill, from the Roman numeral 'X', which looked like a sawbuck for cutting wood. | 1850 |
| Chaparral | | 1850 |
| Jerky | | 1850 |
| Abalone | | 1850 |
| Crybaby | | 1851 |
| Cholo | | 1851 |
| Doggone | | 1851 |
| Logjam | | 1851 |
| Eat crow | | 1851 |
| Rocker | Short for rocking chair. | 1852 |
| Catch some zees | | 1852 |
| Lickety-split | | 1852 |
| Mailbox | To refer to what the English were calling letterboxes. | 1853 |
| Loony | | 1853 |
| One-horse town | | 1853 |
| Decolonization | | 1853 |
| Checklist | | 1853 |
| Keep your eyes peeled | | 1853 |
| Shanghai | To drug a man and force him to work as a sailor. | 1854 |
| Run across | 'Encounter', 'meet'. | 1855 |
| Ginger-snap | | 1855 |
| Jigsaw | To refer to a 'vertical reciprocating saw'. | 1855 |
| Spondulics | 'Money'. Spread to England and continued to be used there after it became obsolete in American English. | 1856 |
| Billy | As in 'billy club' first used in 1848 to refer to a bugler's crowbar. | 1856 |
| Plug-ugly | | 1856 |
| Bloviate | | 1857 |
| Ship | To refer to transporting goods by things that aren't ships -- railways, etc. | 1857 |
| Tie | To refer to railway ties. | 1857 |
| Whangdoodle | | 1858 |
| Flurry | To refer to snow. | 1858 |
| Boodle | 'Graft money'; but see 1833. | 1858 |
| Buzz-saw | | 1858 |
| Postgraduate | | 1858 |
| Cobbler | To refer to a deep-dish fruit pie. | 1859 |
| Streetcar | | 1859 |
| Bubba | | 1860s |
| Peel it | 'Run away fast', later to morph into 'peel out'. | 1860 |
| Jack up | This appears to be the first use of 'jack' in a verb form in English. | 1860 |
| Factionalism | | 1860 |
| Run | Meaning 'to be in charge of'. | 1861 |
| About face | | 1861 |
| Homemaker | | 1861 |
| Skedaddle | Civil war slang | 1861 |
| Blowfish | | 1862 |
| Choosy | | 1862 |
| Lollygag | | 1862 |
| Hindsight | | 1862 |
| Shortage | | 1862 |
| Shebang | Civil War slang, originally meant a hut or shed; phrase 'the whole shebang' first recorded 1869. | 1862 |
| Biz | Short for 'business'. | 1862 |
| Old Glory | | 1862 |
| Barbed wire | | 1863 |
| Deadbeat | As a noun to describe a person. In England "dead beat" meant 'worn out', 'used up'. | 1863 |
| On the up-and-up | | 1863 |
| Issuance | | 1863 |
| Jackrabbit | Short for jackass-rabbit. | 1863 |
| Bum | To loaf and beg. The noun appeared in 1864. | 1863 |
| Cakewalk | | 1863 |
| Catawampus | Meaning 'askew', but see 1834, 1843, and 1873. | 1864 |
| Itemize | | 1864 |
| Doughboy | | 1864 |
| Scrimshaw | | 1864 |
| Gatling gun | | 1864 |
| Boardwalk | | 1864 |
| Draftee | | 1864 |
| Surefire | | 1864 |
| Miscegenation | | 1864 |
| Poppycock | | 1865 |
| Walkway | | 1865 |
| Escapee | | 1865 |
| Bouncer | To mean someone that throws rowdy folk out of a bar; in England, this job was referred to as a 'chucker out'. | 1865 |
| Burglarize | First written reference is a Canadian publication, mocking the American usage. | 1865 |
| Graft | To mean 'corruption'. | 1865 |
| Commuter | | 1865 |
| Hunky-dory | | 1866 |
| Jamboree | | 1866 |
| Noggin | To mean a person's head. | 1866 |
| Mom | | 1867 |
| Off-color | To refer to something, esp. a joke, of questionable taste. | 1867 |
| Winery | | 1867 |
| Ku Klux Klan | | 1867 |
| To feel in your bones | | 1867 |
| Carpetbagger | | 1868 |
| Joker | To refer to the playing card. | 1868 |
| Champ | | 1868 |
| Stink-bug | | 1869 |
| Husky | To mean 'strong', 'tough'. | 1869 |
| Underclassman | | 1869 |
| Oodles | | 1869 |
| Unicycle | | 1869 |
| Hooter | As in "I don't care a hooter for him." Later shortened to 'hoot' in the 1890s. | 1870s |
| Bushed | To mean tired. | 1870 |
| Hoodoo | | 1870 |
| Fuddy-duddy | | 1871 |
| Fraidy-cat | | 1871 |
| Dive | To mean an 'undesirable bar'. | 1871 |
| Gym | | 1871 |
| Boom | An increase or success, e.g. 'boom town', 'boom and bust'. | 1871 |
| Gangly | The English used gangling. | 1872 |
| Well-heeled | | 1872 |
| Divvy | Originally a noun ('a share'), noun appearing circa 1877. | 1872 |
| Nonpartisan | | 1872 |
| Catawampus | Meaning 'in a diagonal position', 'crooked', used esp. in North Carolina; but see 1834, 1843, and 1864. | 1873 |
| High-roller | | 1873 |
| Harmonica | For a mouth organ. Benjamin Franklin had originally coined the word in 1762 to refer to his glass harmonica. | 1873 |
| Hike | To mean 'hitch up one's pants'. | 1873 |
| Straight | As in 'undiluted'; 'a straight whiskey'. | 1874 |
| Scoop | Meaning 'to be the first to get a news story'. | 1874 |
| Expansionist | | 1874 |
| Plumbing | To refer to water and drainage pipes; coined because they were sealed with lead. | 1875 |
| Grubstake | | 1876 |
| Pulchritudinous | | 1877 |
| Hoopla | | 1877 |
| Tony | To mean 'of a high tone' or 'affecting social elegance'. | 1877 |
| Joint | A location, as in 'case the joint' (Note: 'case' was not used in that sense until 1915). | 1877 |
| Boot | As a verb meaning 'to kick'. | 1877 |
| Bangs | The term bang-tail had already been used in reference to trimmed horses' tails since 1870. | 1878 |
| Stunt | Meaning a trick or attempt to show off. College sports slang. | 1878 |
| Shack | | 1878 |
| Bug | To refer to a glitch in a machine, attributed to Thomas Edison; Grace Hopper may have introduced this term in computing in 1947, when she referred to 'debugging' a computer. | 1878 |
| Crook | To mean thief or swindler. | 1879 |
| Sideburns | | 1880 |
| Horn in | Cowboy slang. | 1880 |
| Heeled | To have money; cowboy slang. | 1880 |
| Uppity | | 1880 |
| Quitter | | 1881 |
| Credit union | | 1881 |
| Twister | To mean 'tornado'. | 1881 |
| Gall | To refer to a character trait. | 1882 |
| Rustle | To mean 'steal', as in 'rustle cattle'. 'Rustler' appeared this year as well. | 1882 |
| Bike | | 1882 |
| Hand-out | Hobo slang. | 1882 |
| Pink-eye | | 1882 |
| Hello | This form was popularized with the invention of the Telephone. The original form was most likely holla, but the English (and Americans) used any number of alternative forms. | 1883 |
| Incinerator | | 1883 |
| Geoduck | | 1883 |
| Kazoo | | 1884 |
| Copycat | | 1884 |
| Forked tongue | | 1885 |
| Chop suey | | 1885 |
| Growler | To mean a 'vessel for beer'. | 1885 |
| Hideout | | 1885 |
| Swipe | To mean 'steal'; prison slang. | 1885 |
| Southpaw | Baseball slang. | 1885 |
| Drive | To mean an event to raise money for a cause. | 1885 |
| Kahuna | | 1886 |
| Co-ed | | 1886 |
| Razzle-dazzle | | 1886 |
| Lefty | Baseball slang. | 1886 |
| Linotype | Originally trademarked. | 1886 |
| Civics | | 1886 |
| Rats | As an interjection/exclamation. | 1886 |
| Haberdasher | To refer specifically to someone who sells men's clothing. | 1887 |
| Jag | A period of unrestrained activity. | 1887 |
| Dogie | | 1887 |
| Beef | To mean 'to complain'. | 1888 |
| Bellyache | To mean 'complain'. | 1888 |
| Tab | To mean 'account' (running tab) or 'bill'. | 1888 |
| Yep | | 1889 |
| Bootleg | To refer to illegal goods -- originally, specifically liqueur. | 1889 |
| Down-and-out | | 1889 |
| Hobo | | 1889 |
| Bleachers | | 1889 |
| Con | To refer to a cheat or trick. | 1889 |
| Gyp | | 1889 |
| Root | To cheer for a team. | 1889 |
| Electrocution | | 1889 |
| Buckaroo | | 1889 |
| Race riot | | 1889 |
| Delicatessen | From the German delikatessen. | 1889 |
| Math | Short for mathematics. The British 'maths' appeared 1911. | 1890 |
| Diner | To refer to the railway car, rather than the person eating. In 1935 American's additionally invented the restaurant intended to look like a dining car. | 1890 |
| Cinch | To mean 'to make certain'. | 1891 |
| Prez | Shortening of president. | 1892 |
| Basketball | | 1892 |
| Bench-warmer | | 1892 |
| Tromp | | 1892 |
| Speedway | | 1892 |
| Smack-dab | | 1892 |
| Ferris wheel | | 1893 |
| Midway | To refer to the central avenue of a fairground; probably spread quickly, as it was first recorded during the Worlds Columbian Exposition in Chicago. | 1893 |
| Gooey | | 1893 |
| Cold feet | | 1893 |
| Crime wave | | 1893 |
| Prom | Short for 'promenade'. | 1894 |
| Mortician | | 1895 |
| Toilet | For a lavatory or latrine. | 1895 |
| Fudge | For the candy. | 1895 |
| Simoleon | | 1895 |
| Foxy | To refer to an attractive woman. | 1895 |
| Shy | To mean 'lacking', 'falling short'. | 1895 |
| Gabfest | | 1895 |
| Druthers | | 1895 |
| Feisty | | 1896 |
| Wise guy | | 1896 |
| Gangster | | 1896 |
| Woozy | | 1897 |
| Sundae | | 1897 |
| Salisbury steak | | 1897 |
| Sissified | | 1897 |
| One-trick pony | | 1897 |
| Chesty | 'Aggressive', 'self-assured'. The sense of having large breasts was not recorded until 1955. | 1898 |
| Yellow journalism | | 1898 |
| Chiropractic | | 1898 |
| Gook | Military slang. | 1899 |
| Seven-year itch | | 1899 |
| Jeepers | | 1900 |
| Pickled | To mean 'drunk'. | 1900 |
| Yap | As a term for one's mouth. | 1900 |
| Escalator | Originally a trade name (Otis Elevator Co.). | 1900 |
| Banana republic | | 1901 |
| Kike | | 1901 |
| Lollapalooza | | 1901 |
| Yegg | Hobo slang. | 1901 |
| Wrong side of the tracks | | 1901 |
| Sidekick | | 1901 |
| Executive | To refer to a high-ranking businessman. | 1902 |
| Smidge | | 1902 |
| Buttinski | | 1902 |
| Foolproof | | 1902 |
| French fries | | 1903 |
| Outage | A play on 'shortage'. | 1903 |
| Goo | | 1903 |
| A la mode | To mean 'with ice cream on top'. | 1903 |
| Breezeway | | 1904 |
| Underpass | | 1904 |
| Flophouse | Hobo slang. | 1904 |
| Mulligan stew | Hobo slang. | 1904 |
| Internist | | 1904 |
| Gas | As short for gasoline. | 1905 |
| Beat | To mean 'tired'. | 1905 |
| Kitchenette | | 1905 |
| Humdinger | 'A beautiful woman'. | 1905 |
| Bean | To mean 'head'; used to mean 'to hit in the head' by 1910. | 1905 |
| Aggie | | 1905 |
| Grift | The noun appeared in 1906, the verb form in 1915. | 1906 |
| Bellhop | | 1906 |
| Jitney | Said to be named from a slang term for a nickel, which was the standard fare. | 1906 |
| Tarp | | 1906 |
| Luncheonette | | 1906 |
| Wisecrack | | 1906 |
| Glom | | 1907 |
| Celeb | | 1908 |
| Hep | 'Hepcat' not used until 1938. | 1908 |
| Coke | Short for cocaine. | 1908 |
| Temp | | 1909 |
| Boob | 'Stupid person'. | 1909 |
| Dilly | | 1909 |
| Lemon | 'A worthless thing'. | 1909 |
| Kewpie | | 1909 |
| Emote | | 1909 |
| Lone wolf | | 1909 |
| Boondocks | Military slang, from Tagalog. | 1910s |
| Go-getter | | 1910 |
| Runoff | In the electoral sense. | 1910 |
| Major | In the sense of 'major in a subject'. | 1910 |
| Jinx | | 1911 |
| Corsage | To refer to a small bunch of flowers worn on the bodice; before this it referred to the body of a dress. | 1911 |
| Jaywalking | | 1912 |
| Coverage | To refer to insurance; previously referred to an entry fee. | 1912 |
| Wop | | 1912 |
| Bug | In 1912 a British lexicographer noted that Americans had expanded the use of the word 'bug' to include what an Englishman would refer to as beetles. | 1912 |
| Marquee | To refer to the structure over the entrance to a hotel or theater. | 1912 |
| Yes-man | | 1912 |
| Keep up with the Joneses | | 1913 |
| Jazz | | 1913 |
| Portsider | 'Lefthanded person', baseball slang. | 1913 |
| Truck | To refer to a motorized vehicle for carrying heavy loads. | 1913 |
| Row-house | | 1913 |
| Faggot | 'Male homosexual' | 1914 |
| Feeb | | 1914 |
| Jake | To mean 'fine', as in 'everything is jake'. | 1914 |
| Doohickey | | 1914 |
| Facial | To mean a beauty treatment. | 1914 |
| Stock-car | For a race car. | 1914 |
| Grand | '1000 dollars' | 1915 |
| Bullshit | | 1915 |
| Case | Examine, as in 'case the joint'. | 1915 |
| Big house | To refer to prison. | 1915 |
| Country mile | | 1915 |
| City slicker | | 1916 |
| R.O.T.C. | | 1916 |
| Frank | Short for frankfurter. | 1916 |
| Goof | | 1916 |
| Realtor | | 1916 |
| Wooden nickel | | 1916 |
| Duffel bag | | 1917 |
| Toot sweet | | 1917 |
| Gandy dancer | A railroad maintenance worker. | 1918 |
| Dumbbell | To mean a stupid person. | 1918 |
| Smacker | 'Money' | 1918 |
| Burp | | 1932 |
| Drip | To mean 'nonsense'. Came to mean 'dull person' in 1932. | 1919 |
| Dunk | | 1919 |
| Stick one's neck out | | 1919 |
| Basket case | At this time it referred to quadriplegics. | 1919 |
| Widget | | 1920s |
| Moolah | | 1920s |
| Fanny | To refer to a woman's behind. Probably comes directly from a corruption of the British meaning. | 1920 |
| Lane | To refer to a single lane on a marked road. | 1921 |
| Bulldyker | 'One who engages in lesbian activities'; see 1931, dyke. | 1921 |
| Patootie | | 1921 |
| Checkup | | 1921 |
| Hooey | | 1922 |
| Baloney | To mean 'nonsense'. | 1922 |
| Tizzy | As in the phrase, 'in a tizzy'. | 1922 |
| Jeez | | 1922 |
| Frappe | | 1922 |
| Hijack | | 1922 |
| Beautician | | 1924 |
| Wow | | 1924 |
| Pooch | | 1924 |
| Malarkey | | 1924 |
| Outdoorsman | | 1924 |
| Flub | | 1924 |
| Gimpy | Hobo slang | 1925 |
| Jitters | | 1925 |
| Ofay | Slang for a white person. | 1925 |
| Yearbook | To refer specifically to a book of the students within a grade or academic setting. | 1926 |
| Finagle | | 1926 |
| Gimmick | | 1926 |
| Pitchman | | 1926 |
| Levis | | 1926 |
| Preemie | | 1927 |
| Prankster | | 1927 |
| Heist | As a verb. Noun recorded in 1936. | 1927 |
| Marbles | As in 'to lose one's marbles', i.e., go crazy; may be from French meubles, 'furniture', AKA, belongings. | 1927 |
| Wingding | Originally hobo slang to refer to faking a seizure; used by 1949 to mean a celebration. | 1927 |
| Do-gooder | Previously the term was 'do-good'. | 1927 |
| Jive | | 1928 |
| Breeze | To refer to something easy. | 1928 |
| Tangle | As in 'to mess with'. | 1928 |
| Toboggan | | 1929 |
| Combo | | 1929 |
| Overpass | | 1929 |
| Seeing Eye dog | The term was originally trademarked by Seeing Eye Inc. of New Jersey. | 1929 |
| Boobs | Short for the much older 'boobies'. | 1929 |
| Fuzz | To refer to the police. | 1929 |
| Big shot | The phrase 'great shot' was used in the same sense previous to this. | 1929 |
| Barrel | Used to mean 'to move quickly along'. | 1930 |
| Moxie | From the name of a brand of beer. | 1930 |
| Cookout | | 1930 |
| Gobo | | 1930 |
| Down home | Used as an adjective. | 1931 |
| Dyker | For 'lesbian'; see 1921, bulldyker. | 1931 |
| Blacktop | | 1931 |
| The American dream | | 1931 |
| Jitter and Jittery | | 1931 |
| Corny | To mean 'old-fashioned' or 'sentimental. | 1932 |
| Half-assed | | 1932 |
| Gunk | Trademarked name for liquid soap; entered into common usage 1949. | 1932 |
| Nertz | American college slang | 1932 |
| Supermarket | | 1933 |
| Mainline | As in 'to inject drugs directly into the vein'. | 1933 |
| Escapism | | 1933 |
| Unfazed | | 1933 |
| Customize | | 1934 |
| Po-face | | 1934 |
| Reet | 'Right'; 'cool', Jazz slang. Now obsolete. | 1934 |
| Greaseball | | 1934 |
| Neat | To mean 'cool'. | 1934 |
| John Q. Public | | 1934 |
| Panelist | | 1935 |
| Boondoggle | | 1935 |
| Shack up | | 1935 |
| Creep | To mean 'a despicable person'. | 1935 |
| Jerk | A tedious, useless person. Carnival slang. | 1935 |
| Quint | To mean quintuplet. | 1935 |
| Desegregation | | 1935 |
| Icky | | 1935 |
| Marina | In the sense of 'a place for boats to park'. | 1935 |
| Toots | | 1936 |
| G.I. | From Government Issue; used only for equipment until 1943, when it began to be used for the soldiers themselves. | 1936 |
| Blooper | First used in baseball for a missed catch; first used to refer to film in 1943. | 1937 |
| Groovy | | 1937 |
| Jukebox | | 1937 |
| Iffy | | 1937 |
| Grapheme | | 1937 |
| Jitterbug | | 1938 |
| Hepcat | But see 'hep', 1908. | 1938 |
| Medicine show | | 1938 |
| Cheeseburger | | 1938 |
| Pretrial | | 1938 |
| Senior citizen | | 1938 |
| Smackeroo | 'Money'. | 1939 |
| Carport | | 1939 |
| Snit | | 1939 |
| Homeboy | African American slang | 1940s |
| Perp | | 1940s |
| Hootenanny | | 1940 |
| Gussy | 'To dress up or decorate in a showy way'. Now most familiar in the phrase 'all gussied up'. | 1940 |
| Crud | College slang. | 1940 |
| Aftermarket | | 1940 |
| Snafu | | 1941 |
| Boot camp | | 1941 |
| Joe Blow | Military slang. | 1941 |
| Anglo | 'An English speaking white American'. | 1941 |
| Jeep | American Army slang. | 1941 |
| Dreamy | To refer to a cure boy or girl. | 1941 |
| Second-guess | | 1941 |
| Inductee | | 1941 |
| Classified | To refer to secret government documents. | 1941 |
| Smack | To mean 'heroin'. | 1942 |
| Cop out | | 1942 |
| Zoot suit | | 1942 |
| Gung ho | The motto of Carlson's Raiders. | 1942 |
| Quinella | | 1942 |
| Go fly a kite | | 1942 |
| Stake out | | 1942 |
| Acronym | | 1943 |
| Labonza | | 1943 |
| Pizzeria | | 1943 |
| Eager beaver | | 1943 |
| Hubba-hubba | | 1944 |
| Latchkey child | | 1944 |
| Custodian | To refer to a janitor. | 1944 |
| Hotrod | | 1945 |
| Expressway | | 1945 |
| Wolf-whistle | | 1945 |
| Rack | To refer to an animal's antlers. | 1945 |
| Having a ball | | 1945 |
| Downscale | As a verb; adjective appears in 1966. | 1945 |
| Hassle | Noun. Verb is also American, appearing in 1951. | 1945 |
| Cockamamie | Rumors of this existing as children's slang in the 1920s have not been confirmed. | 1946 |
| Latino | A shortening of Latinoamericano. | 1946 |
| Drag race | | 1947 |
| Honcho | | 1947 |
| Show-and-tell | | 1948 |
| Bit | Short for 'binary digit' | 1948 |
| Cronyism | To refer to political favoritism; previous to his, it referred to friendship. | 1950s |
| Big kahuna | Later popularized in surfer slang in 1962. | 1950s |
| Cowabunga | | 1950s |
| Bitching | To mean 'cool'. | 1950s |
| Rental | To refer to something that is for rent; previously it referred to what we today would refer to as 'rent'. | 1952 |
| Slammer | To mean prison. | 1952 |
| Automated | | 1952 |
| Hippie | Originally someone who was fashion conscious, changed to current meaning by 1965. | 1953 |
| Countdown | | 1953 |
| Wonk | An effeminate man; by 1962 has changed to mean an overly-studious person. | 1954 |
| Urban renewal | | 1955 |
| Pass-fail | | 1955 |
| Byte | | 1956 |
| Gofer | | 1956 |
| Liftoff | | 1956 |
| Lead balloon | | 1957 |
| Shades | To refer to sunglasses. | 1958 |
| Aerospace | | 1958 |
| Flaky | To mean 'eccentric'. Baseball slang. | 1959 |
| Kooky | | 1959 |
| Limo | | 1959 |
| Nuke | | 1959 |
| Spandex | Brand name. | 1959 |
| Doofus | | 1960s |
| Frag | | 1960s |
| Bong | | 1960s |
| Kook | | 1960 |
| Upchuck | | 1960 |
| Barf | | 1960 |
| Pre-law | | 1961 |
| Boffo | | 1961 |
| Nitty-gritty | | 1961 |
| Wipeout | | 1962 |
| Chinese fire-drill | | 1962 |
| Kludge | | 1962 |
| Disco | Short for discotheque; first used for the style of music in 1972. | 1964 |
| Humongous | | 1972 |
| Repo | | 1972 |
| Lib | | 1969 |
| Into | Meaning to be strongly interested in something. | 1969 |
| Scam | Carnival slang. | 1963 |
| Jimmies | For ice cream sprinkles. | 1963 |
| Jock | From 'jockstrap'. | 1963 |
| Whistleblower | | 1963 |
| Grunge and Grungy | Sloppiness. The music and fashion style did not appear until the 1990s, but are also American, originating in Seattle. | 1965 |
| Spaced-out | | 1965 |
| Boob tube | | 1965 |
| Skanky | | 1965 |
| Off the wall | | 1966 |
| Wise-ass | | 1966 |
| Zit | | 1966 |
| Credibility gap | | 1966 |
| Rip off | | 1967 |
| Honky | | 1967 |
| Narc | Short for 'narcotics agent'. | 1967 |
| Toke | To mean a puff of marijuana. | 1968 |
| Neato | | 1968 |
| Biker | 'Motorcycle rider' | 1968 |
| Choad | | 1968 |
| Aerobics | | 1968 |
| Dweeb | | 1968 |
| Low-profile | To refer to keeping something out of the public eye. The earlier use, referring to car tires, was also an Americanism, and appeared in 1957. | 1970 |
| Granola | | 1970 |
| Studly | | 1971 |
| Chairperson | | 1971 |
| Superfly | | 1971 |
| Gonzo | | 1971 |
| Ditzy | | 1973 |
| Buzz-cut | | 1973 |
| Gas-guzzler | | 1973 |
| Ebonics | From 'ebony' + 'phonics'. | 1975 |
| No-name | | 1978 |
| Rap | To refer to the musical style. | 1979 |
| Homeslice | | 1980s |
| Booyah | | 1980s |
| High-five | As a noun, 1981 as a verb. | 1980 |
| NIMBY | | 1980 |
| Melt | The sandwich. | 1980 |
| Waitstaff | | 1981 |
| Wannabe | Surfer slang | 1981 |
| Tubular | To mean 'cool'. | 1982 |
| Interstate | To refer to a highway. | 1986 |
| Hood | Short for neighborhood. | 1987 |
| Neocon | | 1987 |
| Loogie | | 1990 |
| Percocet | | 1991 |
| Dudette | | 1991 |
| Brownfield | | 1992 |
| Ho | | 1993 |
| Cromulent | | 1996 |
In addition to these, there are words that have been part of the English language for centuries, but started to fade out in England, only to be retained in America. Because of this, words such as 'mad' (to mean angry), 'overly', 'progress' (as a verb), 'kinfolk', 'sidewalk', 'notice' (as a verb), 'ass', 'sled', 'tardy', and 'reliable' may be said to be Americanisms. Other words are insufficiently documented to determine exactly when they started -- for example, 'hi' as a synonym for 'hello' is surely an Americanism, but it is not clearly documented when it moved from being a sound you yelled out to get attention to a simple greeting.
There are literally hundreds of Americanisms left of off this list. If I have forgotten your favorite, let me know and I will consider adding it.