Jump To:

• Afghan
  Afghan

  noun

  a native or inhabitant of Afghanistan.
• afghan
  afghan

  noun

  a knitted or crocheted wool blanket or shawl, esp one with a geometric pattern

Afghan

American  

[af-gan, -guhn] / ˈæf gæn, -gən /

noun

• Afghans
  plural

1. a native or inhabitant of Afghanistan.

2. afghan, a soft woolen blanket, crocheted or knitted, usually in a geometric pattern.

3. Also called Afghan hound. one of a breed of swift hunting hounds having a long, narrow head and a long, silky coat.

4. Literary. Pashto.

---

adjective

1. of Afghanistan or its people or language.

Afghan ¹ British  

/ ˈæfɡæn, -ɡən, -ˈɡɑː- /

noun

1. a native, citizen, or inhabitant of Afghanistan

2. another name for Pashto

3. history an Indian camel driver employed in the outback of Australia

---

adjective

1. denoting or relating to Afghanistan, its people, or their language

afghan ² British  

/ ˈæfɡæn, -ɡən /

noun

1. a knitted or crocheted wool blanket or shawl, esp one with a geometric pattern

2. a sheepskin coat, often embroidered and having long fur trimming around the edges

---

Usage

See afghani.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• Afghans
  plural

Etymology

Origin of Afghan

First recorded in 1740–50; from Persian afghān “inhabitant of the Hindu Kush; a Pathan“

Explanation

An afghan is a knitted or crocheted blanket. You might spend Friday night curled up on the couch under an afghan watching old movies on TV. Many afghans are made from individual crocheted squares — called "granny squares" — stitched together into one big, multicolored blanket. Other afghans are striped or composed of large blocks of color. The connection of the name afghan with the people or country of Afghanistan is unclear, though some crochet and knitting fans believe that the original afghans, first made in the 1800s, were influenced by multi-colored blankets from that country.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Afghan afghan Afghans

At Southwark Crown Court, Mrs Justice Cutts said Safi, an Afghan refugee, had been "in a psychotic state" and recommended that he be deported, but said the final decision rested with the Home Secretary.

From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026

When the U.S. finished pulling out of Afghanistan in the summer of 2021, it imperiled the lives of every Afghan who had helped, including the Institute of Peace’s local staff and their families.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026

In Paktia, an official said jets had bombed the Afghan Armed Forces' 203 Mansouri Corps, which is controlled by the Taliban, without providing any information on casualties.

From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026

"Afghan culture should not vanish, and music is one of the cultures of our people. Personally, I don't want this culture to disappear."

From Barron's

We crossed the foyer—a large Afghan flag draped one of the walls—and the men took me upstairs to a room with twin mint green sofas and a big-screen TV in the far corner.

From "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini

Gilbert: The couch and afghan, along with the entire main kitchen and living room set are in Carsey Werner’s storage.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 9, 2025

Since September, Minnesota has welcomed 721 afghan evacuees according to the Minnesota Department of Human Services.

From Fox News ● Jan. 20, 2022

I wrote early on in that essay, trying to conjure the first moment I ever saw one as an infant — my parent's afghan hound, Easy.

From Salon ● Jul. 25, 2021

There was Peggy Foster, 82, an afghan over her shoulders, Ralph Lucas, 84, the only man in the group, and Jean Rose, 96, who kept surprising herself with the success of her rolls.

From New York Times ● Feb. 12, 2021

Franny let herself out of the pink sheets and the pale-blue afghan.

From "Franny and Zooey" by J. D. Salinger

The council urged the international community to "adjust further its engagement with any stakeholders in Afghanistan" with regard to human rights and fundamental freedoms for all Afghans.

From Barron's ● Oct. 5, 2026

The council deplored the suffering of Afghans and voiced deep concern about deeply entrenched impunity in the country.

From Barron's ● Oct. 5, 2026

Most of the 14 were Afghans or Iraqi Kurds.

From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026

Since 2023, hundreds of thousands of Afghans have been deported from Pakistan and over two million have left according to the UN.

From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026

It should have been a time of glory for Afghans.

From "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini