Uyghur

American  

[wee-goor] / ˈwi gʊər /

(Older Spelling) Uighur,

noun

• Uyghurs,
  plural
• Uyghur
  plural

1. a member of a predominantly Muslim Turkic-speaking people, dominant in Mongolia and eastern Turkestan from the 8th to 12th centuries a.d., and now living in northwestern China, mainly in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.

2. the Turkic language of the Uyghurs.

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adjective

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of the Uyghurs or their language.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• Uyghurian
  adjective
• Uyghuric
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• Uyghur
  plural
• Uyghurs
  plural

Etymology

Origin of Uyghur

First recorded in 1840–45; from Uyghur; a self-designation of the Uyghur people

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Uyghur Uyghurs

In an interview with the New York Times, family friend Adam Nijiati said that Aikebaer was part of a small Uyghur community where he resided with his wife and three daughters.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026

Rubio, who has never visited China, was an outspoken critic of Beijing's human rights record while a senator, championing legislation that brought sanctions over Beijing's alleged use of forced labor from the Uyghur minority.

From Barron's ● May 5, 2026

A Chinese citizen who fled the country after gathering evidence of alleged human-rights violations against the nation’s Uyghur population is at risk of being returned there after being detained by U.S.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 12, 2025

An unverified video posted on Instagram showed around 30 people gathered on Thursday in an area of the Almaty region that has a large Uyghur population.

From Barron's ● Nov. 14, 2025

She had taken a career break in late 2023 to work for the US Department of Homeland Security, helping it with the implementation of their Uyghur Forced Labour Prevention Act.

From BBC ● Nov. 3, 2025

The blast came weeks after Thailand's then-ruling junta forcibly repatriated 109 Uyghurs to China, prompting speculation that it was part of a revenge plot.

From Barron's ● Jun. 11, 2026

Both men were identified as Uyghurs, but initially the Thai police said neither was the person who planted the bomb.

From BBC ● Jun. 11, 2026

At the time, China repeatedly rejected accusations that it was keeping Uyghurs in internment camps.

From BBC ● Mar. 13, 2026

Uyghurs and other Chinese nationals who have exposed Beijing’s human-rights abuses are another.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 20, 2026

A US immigration judge on Wednesday granted asylum to a Chinese man who fled his country after documenting sites of alleged human rights abuses against Uyghurs, his mother and lawyer told AFP.

From Barron's ● Jan. 29, 2026