English Reference
Noun

dutchman

n. countable
B2 Upper Intermediate US /ˈdətʃmən/ dutch·man Nautical Theater

n.a man who comes from the Netherlands. You use this word to talk about someone's nationality.

n.a male native or inhabitant of the Netherlands. Often used to refer to a person of Dutch descent or nationality.


SIMPLE

The Dutchman showed us the best bike paths in Amsterdam.

CONTEXTUAL

During the international conference, a friendly Dutchman helped translate the technical documents into English.

COMPLEX

The legendary Flying Dutchman is a ghost ship that is said to be cursed to sail the oceans forever, never able to make port.

Usage

The plural form is 'Dutchmen'.

Pitfall
He is a Dutch manHe is a Dutchman

While 'Dutch man' is grammatically possible, the compound 'Dutchman' is the standard way to refer to a male citizen of the Netherlands.

Justin Kluivert (£6m) is set to be Bournemouth 's penalty taker but, when the Dutchman is not on the pitch, expect Tavernier to step up.

BBC News· 14 Aug 2026

From Middle English Ducheman; equivalent to Dutch + -man.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry
Origin Middle English Ducheman
Level B2 · Upper Intermediate
Frequency Occasional
Updated