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• 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.

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adjective

1. of Afghanistan or its people or language.

Afghan ¹ British  

/ -ɡən, æfˈɡænɪ, ˈæfɡæn, -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

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adjective

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

afghan ² British  

/ -ɡən, ˈæfɡæn /

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

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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

In March, an Afghan man who once fought alongside U.S. troops died of an allergic reaction.

From Slate ● Jul. 8, 2026

Afghan migrants have reported multiple similar incidents since 2021, when the Taliban seized power in Kabul, according to Turkey-based activist Zakira Hikmat.

From BBC ● Jul. 1, 2026

But she was delighted that the Afghan women's team was meeting the King and welcomed the public show of solidarity.

From BBC ● Jun. 24, 2026

Two spokesmen for the Afghan government did not respond to AFP's requests to comment on the decision.

From Barron's ● Jun. 17, 2026

He could eat it every day, spread over Afghan bread, with plum jam.

From "Shooting Kabul" by N. H. Senzai

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

It’s a form of manipulation and control like any other — except crocheted into an afghan and presented as love.

From Washington Post ● Aug. 17, 2022

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

And once she was stretched out I pulled her woolen afghan over her.

From "Dead End in Norvelt" by Jack Gantos

The country is in the grips of a humanitarian crisis, exacerbated by the slashing of foreign assistance and the need to integrate millions of Afghans pushed back from neighbouring Iran and Pakistan.

From Barron's ● Jul. 12, 2026

While border officials contact authorities nationwide to verify the identity of those who don't have any form of ID, the process for newly arrived Afghans can be bewildering.

From Barron's ● Jul. 3, 2026

Mahmout Keçen, another migrant-rights activist based in Van, said the nature of the mountains "most commonly used by Afghans entering Turkey irregularly" meant crossings had to be made in difficult, risky weather conditions.

From BBC ● Jul. 1, 2026

In 2022, South Korea helped roughly 400 Afghans leave their country after the Taliban seized power, but it designated them as “special contributors” rather than refugees because they had employment ties with South Korean agencies.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 28, 2026

“You can take Afghans out of Paghman, but you can’t take Paghman out of Afghans,” I said.

From "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini