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• Afghan
  Afghan

  noun

  a native or inhabitant of Afghanistan.
• afghan
  afghan

  noun

  a knitted or crocheted wool blanket or shawl, esp one with a geometric pattern

Afghan

American  

[af-gan, -guhn] / ˈæf gæn, -gən /

noun

• Afghans
  plural

1. a native or inhabitant of Afghanistan.

2. afghan, a soft woolen blanket, crocheted or knitted, usually in a geometric pattern.

3. Also called Afghan hound.  one of a breed of swift hunting hounds having a long, narrow head and a long, silky coat.

4. Literary. Pashto.

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adjective

1. of Afghanistan or its people or language.

Afghan ¹ British  

/ -ɡən, æfˈɡænɪ, ˈæfɡæn, -ˈɡɑː- /

noun

1. a native, citizen, or inhabitant of Afghanistan

2. another name for Pashto

3. history an Indian camel driver employed in the outback of Australia

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adjective

1. denoting or relating to Afghanistan, its people, or their language

afghan ² British  

/ -ɡən, ˈæfɡæn /

noun

1. a knitted or crocheted wool blanket or shawl, esp one with a geometric pattern

2. a sheepskin coat, often embroidered and having long fur trimming around the edges

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Usage

See afghani.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• Afghans
  plural

Etymology

Origin of Afghan

First recorded in 1740–50; from Persian afghān “inhabitant of the Hindu Kush; a Pathan“

Explanation

An afghan is a knitted or crocheted blanket. You might spend Friday night curled up on the couch under an afghan watching old movies on TV. Many afghans are made from individual crocheted squares — called "granny squares" — stitched together into one big, multicolored blanket. Other afghans are striped or composed of large blocks of color. The connection of the name afghan with the people or country of Afghanistan is unclear, though some crochet and knitting fans believe that the original afghans, first made in the 1800s, were influenced by multi-colored blankets from that country.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Afghan afghan Afghans

They witnessed families separated, babies passed over fences, civilians crushed in the crowds, and Afghan allies turned away because they lacked the necessary paperwork.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026

Ms. Eshaghian has proved in earlier films, including the Afghan prison doc “Love Crimes of Kabul,” that she can get people to talk.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026

The Afghan Whigs were in official existence until 2001, when they amicably parted ways.

From Salon ● Aug. 25, 2026

It is run by Najia, a 47-year-old Afghan entrepreneur and mother of nine children who was married at the age of 14.

From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026

The only thing that flowed more than tea in those aisles was Afghan gossip.

From "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini

Valley College, her crocheted afghan flying like a kite.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 12, 2024

Among those items is a yellow afghan blanket her great-grandmother knitted and “has always been on my bed,” she said.

From Washington Post ● Mar. 24, 2022

Since September, Minnesota has welcomed 721 afghan evacuees according to the Minnesota Department of Human Services.

From Fox News ● Jan. 20, 2022

I wrote early on in that essay, trying to conjure the first moment I ever saw one as an infant — my parent's afghan hound, Easy.

From Salon ● Jul. 25, 2021

She lies on the sofa with her turbanlike Sunday hat on, the afghan wrapped around her.

From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood

GDP per capita is in decline, due to more than six million Afghans arriving from neighbouring Iran and Pakistan in three years, while the World Bank estimated real growth reaching 4.8 percent.

From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026

While border officials contact authorities nationwide to verify the identity of those who don't have any form of ID, the process for newly arrived Afghans can be bewildering.

From Barron's ● Jul. 3, 2026

He was quoted as saying that the dead included three Afghans and a Pakistani, all working in agriculture.

From BBC ● Jun. 2, 2026

In 2022, South Korea helped roughly 400 Afghans leave their country after the Taliban seized power, but it designated them as “special contributors” rather than refugees because they had employment ties with South Korean agencies.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 28, 2026

It should have been a time of glory for Afghans.

From "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini