American Revolutionn. The war between the American colonies and Great Britain (1775-1783), leading to the formation of the independent United States.American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.American Revolution n (Historical Terms) the usual US term for War of American Independence Collins English Dictionary ? Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014Amer?ican Revolu?tion n. the war between Great Britain and its American colonies, 1775?83, by which the colonies won independence. Random House Kernerman Webster’s College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.