Amish

American  

[ah-mish, am-ish] / ˈɑ mɪʃ, ˈæm ɪʃ /

adjective

1. of or relating to any of the strict Mennonite groups, chiefly in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, and Canada, descended from the followers of Jakob Ammann, a Swiss Mennonite bishop of the 17th century.

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noun

1. the Amish people.

Amish British  

/ ˈɑːmɪʃ, ˈæ- /

adjective

1. of or relating to a US and Canadian Mennonite sect that traces its origin to Jakob Amman

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noun

1. the Amish people

Amish Cultural  

1. A group of Protestants who broke away from the Mennonites in the seventeenth century. The Amish live in close communities, farm for a living, and do without many modern conveniences, such as telephones, automobiles, and tractor-drawn plows.

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Discover More

Some of the Pennsylvania Dutch are Amish.

Etymology

Origin of Amish

1835–45, < German amisch, after Jakob Ammann; see -ish ¹

Compare meaning

How does amish compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• Amish vs. Mennonite

Example Sentences

But the wind-up alarm clock won’t disappear entirely, says Bill Stoddard, who repairs and sells clocks at his shop in Flora, Ind. After all, he points out, “the Amish people buy clocks.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 11, 2026

They planted olive, fig and pomegranate trees in their garden and brought furniture back from the US from the Amish community in Pennsylvania: "That's something we cannot replace," he said.

From BBC • Apr. 23, 2026

Yoder, the court premised its decision to allow Amish parents to remove older children from school on expert testimony showing that the decision caused no harm “to the physical or mental health of the child.”

From Slate • Mar. 12, 2026

After high school, he said, he spent several years working on farms, including with the Amish in Lancaster, Pa.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 10, 2026

Then they seemed like the kind of stories passed around an Amish quilt circle.

From "Friday Night Lights: A Town, A Team, And A Dream" by H.G. Bissinger