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Cree

American  
[kree] / kri /

noun

plural

Crees,

plural

Cree

  1. a member of a North American Indian people of Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Montana.

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

Cree 1 British  
/ kriː /

noun

  1. a member of a Native American people living in Ontario, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba

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

  3. a syllabic writing system of this and certain other languages

"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
cree 2 British  
/ kriː /

noun

  1. dialect temporary immunity from the rules of a game: said by children

"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

Etymology

Origin of Cree1

from first syllable of Canadian French Christianaux, probably based on Ojibwa Kenistenoag (tribal name)

Origin of cree2

of unknown origin

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.

He is survived by his wife, Cinda Cree Hicks, six children and 14 grandchildren.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 9, 2025

Students learn about food in their Cree classes and participate in land-based food activities and harvests.

From Salon • Sep. 4, 2024

Cairo and I love the pasta with the truffle and Parmesan cheese, and Cree loves the beef ravioli.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 12, 2024

Wally Bruns, chief of James Smith Cree Nation, said he hopes the inquest will provide recommendations about self-administered policing for the First Nation.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 15, 2024

He tried to cover up his careless Cree with English.

From "The Marrow Thieves" by Cherie Dimaline

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.