Cherokee

American  

[cher-uh-kee, cher-uh-kee] / ˈtʃɛr əˌki, ˌtʃɛr əˈki /

noun

• Cherokees,
  plural
• Cherokee
  plural

1. a member of an important tribe of North American Indians whose first known center was in the southern Alleghenies and who presently live in North Carolina and Oklahoma.

2. the Iroquoian language of the Cherokee, written since 1822 in a syllabic script invented for the language by Sequoya.

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Cherokee British  

/ ˌtʃɛrəˈkiː, ˈtʃɛrəˌkiː /

noun

1. a member of a Native American people formerly living in and around the Appalachian Mountains, now chiefly in Oklahoma; one of the Iroquois peoples

2. the language of this people, belonging to the Iroquoian family

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• Cherokee
  plural
• Cherokees
  plural

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Cherokee Cherokees

While most Native Americans could explain where the ginger gene might have come from, there was one exception - a Cherokee girl called Lakia - whose family knew of no European ancestry.

From BBC ● Aug. 1, 2026

After recording drums at Cherokee Studios, the band relocated to Harddrive Analog & Digital Recording in North Hollywood to make the bulk of “Bleed American.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026

These models include the company’s V8-powered Ram light-duty truck, the new Ram 1500 TRX SRT, the refreshed Jeep Grand Wagoneer and Grand Cherokee, and the refreshed Chrysler Pacifica.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026

The continued ramp-up of the all-new Jeep Cherokee and the all-new Dodge Charger also helped.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026

This map shows the boundaries of the original homelands of the Cherokee Nation, which included large parts of what are currently several states of the southeastern United States.

From "An Indigenous People’s History of the United States" by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz

While now eschewing the imperial strife of European colonists, the Five Nations waged their own “mourning wars” against the Catawbas and Cherokees of the south.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026

Earlier this year, a team of engineers flew to Detroit on a secret mission to make Jeep Grand Cherokees drive themselves.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 28, 2026

Several Cherokees also criticized Mattel for not consulting with Mankiller’s only surviving child, Felicia Olaya, who said she was unaware of the doll until about a week before its public launch.

From Washington Times ● Dec. 4, 2023

Another $5 million will go into a tribal endowment to help pay for Cherokees to go to college and grad school to become therapists and medical professionals needed to staff the facilities.

From Seattle Times ● Feb. 13, 2023

After settler forces defeated the Cherokees in 1776, one group of Cherokees strongly opposed to ceding any more land moved farther west.

From "An Indigenous People’s History of the United States" by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz

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