Amish

American  

[ah-mish, am-ish] / ˈɑ mɪʃ, ˈæm ɪʃ /

adjective

1. of or relating to any of the strict Mennonite groups, chiefly in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, and Canada, descended from the followers of Jakob Ammann, a Swiss Mennonite bishop of the 17th century.

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noun

1. the Amish people.

Amish British  

/ ˈɑːmɪʃ, ˈæ- /

adjective

1. of or relating to a US and Canadian Mennonite sect that traces its origin to Jakob Amman

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noun

1. the Amish people

Amish Cultural  

1. A group of Protestants who broke away from the Mennonites in the seventeenth century. The Amish live in close communities, farm for a living, and do without many modern conveniences, such as telephones, automobiles, and tractor-drawn plows.

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Discover More

Some of the Pennsylvania Dutch are Amish.

Etymology

Origin of Amish

1835–45, < German amisch, after Jakob Ammann; -ish ¹

Compare meaning

How does amish compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• Amish vs. Mennonite

Example Sentences

The schools, joined by Amish parents, filed suit, alleging a violation of their First Amendment right to free exercise of religion.

From Slate • Dec. 9, 2025

It is a pastoral place where drivers watch for Amish buggies at dusk and a Union soldier monument anchors the town square.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 17, 2025

There are relatively few studies on autism rates within the Amish community.

From BBC • Sep. 23, 2025

Lawyers in a similar New York lawsuit brought by Amish parents have requested review from the Supreme Court.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 10, 2025

McKusick was a renowned geneticist who’d founded the world’s first human genetics department at Hopkins, where he maintained a catalog of hundreds of genes, including several he’d discovered himself in Amish populations.

From "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot