Navajo

American  

[nav-uh-hoh, nah-vuh-] / ˈnæv əˌhoʊ, ˈnɑ və- /

Or Navaho

noun

• Navajos,
  plural
• Navajoes,
  plural
• Navajo
  plural

1. Also called Diné. a member of the most populous nation of the southern division of Athabascan Native Americans, located in New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah, and now constituting the largest tribal group in the United States.

2. the Athabascan language of the Navajo.

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adjective

1. Also of, relating to, or characteristic of the Navajo, their language, or their culture.

   a Navajo blanket.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• Navajo
  plural
• Navajoes
  plural
• Navajos
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of Navajo

First recorded in 1800–10; from American Spanish Apaches de Nabajú “Apaches of Nabajú” (Navajo and several Apachean languages are mutually intelligible), originally a place name applied to the Largo Canyon region of the Four Corners area of northwest New Mexico, from Tewa navahu “large arroyo with cultivated fields”; see also Diné ( def. )

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Navajo Navajoes Navajos

Closer to Lake Powell, the Drought Severity Evaluation Tool, co-developed with the Navajo Nation, allows leaders to track localized drought indicators, precipitation patterns, and vegetation health across tribal lands.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 23, 2026

In addition to San Diego County, its partners include the California Department of Public Health, the Navajo Nation and organizations across the broader Insight Net network.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 15, 2026

Nearly everything in her apartment is secondhand, from the vintage Audubon prints arranged salon-style in the living room to the Navajo rugs and David Shrigley print she found at a garage sale.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026

“In the beginning there was nothing but Spider Woman,” say Navajo and Pueblo elders.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 15, 2026

He had the image of Darkness in his mind and whispered Darkness’s Navajo name.

From "Healer of the Water Monster" by Brian Young

Some carried, instead of the pictured serape, the blanket of the Navajoes, with its broad black stripes.

From The Scalp Hunters by F.A. Stewart

The most famous blankets are made by the Navajoes upon rude hand looms and are wonderfully fine in weave, color, and design.

From The Indian To-day The Past and Future of the First American by Charles Alexander Eastman

It does not look like a war-shaft; but the Navajoes use a very subtle poison.

From The Scalp Hunters by F.A. Stewart

Navajoes now number 9,114, an increase of 880 over last year's enumeration.

From The Indian Question (1874) by Francis Amasa Walker

It was the horse-tread of the approaching Navajoes!

From The Scalp Hunters by F.A. Stewart

The tribal official urged Navajos to carry state-issued identification or their “Certificate of Indian blood.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 15, 2026

The Navajos have one of the largest single outstanding claims in the Colorado River basin and officials say the needs across the territory exceed the proposed price tag of $5 billion.

From Seattle Times ● May 24, 2024

For months before the ring of fire, traditional Navajos had to dodge posters advertising its arrival.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 19, 2023

“The Navajos do not contend that the United States has interfered with their access to water,” he wrote.

From New York Times ● Jun. 22, 2023

Some have said that Philip Johnson developed the code and taught it to the Navajos.

From "Code Talker: A Novel About the Navajo Marines of World War Two" by Joseph Bruchac

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