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• Native American
  Native American

  noun

  Indian.
• native American
  native American

  noun

  a person born in the United States.

Native American

¹ American  

[nay-tiv uh-mer-i-kuhn] / ˈneɪ tɪv əˈmɛr ɪ kən /

noun

1. Indian.

2. a member of any of the aboriginal peoples of the Americas, including Indians and non-Indians.

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native American ² American  

noun

1. a person born in the United States.

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Native American British  

noun

1. A member of the indigenous peoples of North America

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adjective

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of Native Americans or any of their languages

Sensitivity

See Indian, Eskimo.

Other Word Forms

• native-American
  adjective

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Etymology

Origin of native American

An Americanism dating back to 1835–45

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Native American native American

He was also a founding member of the Mimbres Foundation, an archaeological conservancy that studies and preserves ancient Native American pottery.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2026

Different cultures use different names for the 12 or 13 full Moons across the lunar calendar, but many of the common ones we use today originate from Native American cultures.

From BBC ● Oct. 23, 2026

The event kicked off with multicultural music by Native American, Korean and West African drum ensembles.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 27, 2026

Early artistic attempts were largely derivative of European art; Native American and folk art weren’t taken seriously until recent decades, and decorative objects were deemed “industrial arts” for a long time.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 5, 2026

Although the Siriono are but one of a score of Native American groups in the Beni, they are the best known.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann

States receiving funds had to consult with unions, native American tribes and “local community organizations” on their plans to expand broadband.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 28, 2025

He owned or leased about 18,000 acres and put them all to work: as full-sized sets representing Old West towns, a Dutch village with a windmill, Swiss and Puritan and native American and fishing settlements.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 25, 2025

The first would be the “Hollywood favourite shows tour de force range” choice, the second would be the “making history” choice - Gladstone would be the first ever native American acting win.

From BBC ● Mar. 10, 2024

Rather than lose the unique and native American tree and replace it with a newly created hybrid, they hope to cure the native species before it disappears.

From Salon ● Dec. 18, 2023

Some suggestions: an unaccompanied violin or cello sonata, a flute, oboe, trumpet, or horn concerto, Asaian or native American flute music, classical guitar, bagpipes, steel pan drums, panpipes, or organ.

From "Understanding Basic Music Theory" by Catherine Schmidt-Jones and Russel Jones

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