Pashtun
Americannoun
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a people of eastern and southern Afghanistan and neighboring regions of northwest Pakistan; the dominant ethnic group in Afghanistan.
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Also called Pathan. a member of the Pashtun people.
adjective
Etymology
Origin of Pashtun
First recorded in 1810–20; from Pashto Pəx̌tānə, Pax̌tūn, Pəshtūn
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It also divides Pashtun communities who live on either side -- the ethnic group from which the Taliban, which returned to power in Kabul in 2021, draws much of its support.
From Barron's • Jan. 4, 2026
Afghanistan has never recognized the porous border that runs through the Pashtun heartland and dilutes the power of the country’s largest ethnic group on both sides.
From Seattle Times • Sep. 12, 2023
Born in 1952, the son of a civil engineer, Khan grew up with four sisters in an affluent urban Pashtun family in Lahore, Pakistan's second-biggest city.
From Reuters • May 9, 2023
Among the groups of mujahideen who fought the Soviets were young men from the Pashtun tribe who had studied at Islamic religious schools in Pakistan.
From Textbooks • Dec. 14, 2022
I’m named for the great young Pashtun heroine Malalai, who inspired her countrymen with her courage.
From "Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Changed the World" by Malala Yousafzai
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
