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

See Examples For:

Amish

Members of the Amish community call the county home, riding horse-drawn buggies and operating farms with chickens, pigs, cows and horses on their properties just outside of the city.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026

Amish people are extremely social, he said, so when the virus hits one church group, it affects everyone who is unvaccinated.

From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026

And, for me, a loaf of chocolate zucchini bread from a little Amish market and greenhouse somewhere outside Ona, West Virginia.

From Salon ● Aug. 31, 2026

We enjoyed strolling through the historic downtown and exploring the surrounding Amish countryside.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 25, 2026

The Amish were friends of ours and especially of Mr. Klein’s, being the main customers at his store.

From "Z for Zachariah" by Robert C. O’Brien