Meanings
- Events in the United States tend to have a major impact on other countries.
Origin
Originates from a similar 19th-century statement about France and Europe, from Klemens Wenzel von Metternich, an Austrian diplomat.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
when America sneezes, the world catches a cold. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/when%20America%20sneezes%2C%20the%20world%20catches%20a%20cold
“when America sneezes, the world catches a cold.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/when%20America%20sneezes%2C%20the%20world%20catches%20a%20cold. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “when America sneezes, the world catches a cold,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/when%20America%20sneezes%2C%20the%20world%20catches%20a%20cold.
Source: when America sneezes, the world catches a cold on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.