Inuit
Americannoun
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Inuits,
plural
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Inuit
plural
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a member of a group of Indigenous peoples inhabiting northernmost North America from northern Alaska to eastern Canada and Greenland.
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the language of the Inuit, a member of the Eskimo-Aleut family comprising a variety of dialects.
noun
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any of several Native peoples of N America or Greenland, as distinguished from those from Asia or the Aleutian Islands (who are still generally referred to as Eskimos); the preferred term for Eskimo in N America Compare Yupik
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the language of these peoples; Inuktitut
Sensitive Note
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of Inuit
First recorded in 1755–65; from Inuit: literally, “people,” plural of inuk “person”
Compare meaning
How does inuit compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
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.
See Examples For:
He wants Greenland to leave the Kingdom of Denmark and enter into a form of free-association agreement with the U.S. that protects it militarily and recognizes the rights of its Inuit people.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 22, 2026
Aqqaluk Lynge, author and former president of the Inuit Circumpolar Council, says there is "so much distrust now".
From BBC ● May 20, 2026
Fieldwork and logistics were supported by multiple organizations in Nunavut, with permits granted by territorial authorities and the Qikiqtani Inuit Association.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 24, 2026
Elsewhere, confirmed losses from indigenous groups include 201 Nenets, 96 Chukchi, 77 Khanty, 30 Koryaks and seven Inuit.
From BBC ● Feb. 19, 2026
One crew member spoke an Inuit language and acted as translator.
From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock
He had brought smallpox with him, and the disease raced around the island, killing Inuits and Europeans alike.
From Science Magazine ● Sep. 26, 2023
The Inuits, now in their 70s, are the surviving members of the group of 22 children who were removed from their homes to be educated as "little Danes".
From BBC ● Nov. 22, 2021
On April 6, 1909, American explorers Robert E. Peary and Matthew A. Henson and four Inuits became the first men to reach the North Pole.
From Washington Times ● Apr. 6, 2021
Based on the novel of the same name by Dan Simmons, the 10-episode series features ice, Inuits, hubris, hunger and a mysterious polar predator.
From New York Times ● Jan. 5, 2018
When all the Inuits were within the hut they carefully drew up the circular snow wall to the very door-way and poured water over the crevices.
From True Tales of Arctic Heroism in the New World by Greely, Adolphus W.
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.
