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Cheyenne

American  
[shahy-en, -an] / ʃaɪˈɛn, -ˈæn /

noun

Cheyennes, plural Cheyenne plural
  1. a member of a North American Indian people of the western plains, formerly in central Minnesota and North and South Dakota, and now divided between Montana and Oklahoma.

  2. an Algonquian language, the language of the Cheyenne Indians.

  3. a city in and the capital of Wyoming, in the S part.


Cheyenne 1 British  
/ ʃaɪˈæn /

noun

  1. a member of a Native American people of the western Plains, now living chiefly in Montana and Oklahoma

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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cheyenne 2 British  
/ -ˈɛn, ʃaɪˈæn /

noun

  1. a city in SE Wyoming, capital of the state. Pop: 54 374 (2003 est)

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

Etymology

Origin of Cheyenne

via Canadian French from Dakota Shaiyena, from shaia to speak incoherently, from sha red + ya to speak

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

Cheyenne, a city of 66,000 nicknamed “The Magic City of the Plains,” was built on rail, ranching, oil and gas.

From The Wall Street Journal Jun. 9, 2026

The two accusers were interviewed alongside Cheyenne Hunt, a Democratic influencer who posted a video describing several women's accusations against Swalwell, bringing the issue to the public's attention.

From BBC Apr. 14, 2026

Aspiring actor and “Euphoria” fan Cheyenne Washington, who grew up in a small town in Connecticut, also recognized the characters.

From Los Angeles Times Apr. 9, 2026

She is a native of Cheyenne, Wyo., and a graduate of Hillsdale College.

From The Wall Street Journal Feb. 12, 2026

Cavalry soldiers, ninety-seven Cheyenne, Kiowa, Pawnee, and Sioux Indians, another fifty Cossacks and Hussars, 180 horses, eighteen buffalo, ten elk, ten mules, and a dozen other animals.

From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson

Like the other traditionals among the Cheyennes and Lakotas, he had desired simply to follow the old way of life—hunting buffalo, raiding tribal enemies and camping where he wished.

From The Wall Street Journal Oct. 31, 2025

“I see this newspaper clipping and it’s Southern Cheyennes in St. Augustine, Fla., in 1875. I know enough about my tribe’s history to know that we were never in Florida.”

From Los Angeles Times Feb. 27, 2024

For some Cheyennes, every treaty that peace chiefs signed and that the U.S. government broke made violence look more sensible than acquiescence.

From New York Times Feb. 16, 2022

From the Rocky Mountains, Cheyennes and Arapahos also acquired horses from New Mexico and used them to move southward and join the hunting, raiding, and trading culture of the Plains.

From Textbooks Jan. 18, 2018

In the afternoon when all the excitement had quieted down, the Cheyennes came over again to the Comanche camp, and invited the Pawnee and his wife to go to their village, and visit with them.

From Pawnee Hero Stories and Folk-Tales With notes on the origin, customs and character of the Pawnee people by Grinnell, George Bird

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