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Kiowa

American  
[kahy-uh-wuh, -wah, -way] / ˈkaɪ ə wə, -ˌwɑ, -ˌweɪ /

noun

  • Kiowas,
    plural
  • Kiowa
    plural
  1. a member of an Indigenous Great Plains tribe, now living primarily in Oklahoma.

  2. the language of the Kiowa, closely related to Tanoan.


adjective

  1. of or relating to the Kiowa or their language.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms


Etymology

Origin of Kiowa

First recorded in 1800–10; from Kiowa kɔjgwu “principal people”


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:

The tree sat on the Kiowa Ranch, a property that noted arts patron Mabel Dodge Luhan had given to Frieda Lawrence, wife of the British writer D.H.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 20, 2026

M. Scott Momaday, in his essay “The Way to Rainy Mountain,” describes his Kiowa grandmother, who “bore an image of deicide.”

From Salon ● Sep. 1, 2024

In the parking lot were cars with tribal license plates from Cherokee, Chickasaw, Comanche, Kiowa and Otoe-Missouria tribes.

From Seattle Times ● Oct. 20, 2022

Hokeah’s characters exist at the intersection of Kiowa, Cherokee and Mexican identity, which provides a vital exploration of indigeneity in contemporary American letters.

From New York Times ● Aug. 16, 2022

You could blame Kiowa for going to it.

From "The Things They Carried" by Tim O'Brien

"Nope. I showed up a bit late, but neither Scan Eagle nor the Kiowas could actually see the enemy."

From Salon ● May 25, 2020

Smaller groups in the Indian Territory took similar steps, as did several bands of Comanches and Kiowas farther west.

From Textbooks ● Jan. 18, 2018

Johanna, who was captured by the Kiowas as a very young girl, has been living with them for so long she can remember only fragments of her former life.

From Seattle Times ● Dec. 29, 2016

The loser is exiled, precipitating a short war between the Kiowas and Comanches before the requisite happy ending.

From New York Times ● Jul. 15, 2016

He has crawled up to the lodges of the Kiowas.

From The War Trail by Elmer Russell Gregor

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