Five Nations

American

plural noun

a confederacy of Iroquoian Indians: the Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, and Seneca, and, after the 18th century, the Tuscarora.

Five Nations British

plural noun

Also called: Iroquois. (formerly) a confederacy of North American Indian peoples living mainly in and around present-day New York state, consisting of the Cayugas, Mohawks, Oneidas, Onondagas, and Senecas See also Six Nations

"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

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:

Five Nations

In “Empire and Frontier,” Samuel Marquis focuses on the conflict’s tumultuous consequences for England’s colony of New York, and for its northern neighbors, the Five Nations of the Iroquois, or Haudenosaunee.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026

The role of the Five Nations as English allies was complicated because some Mohawks had already gravitated to Catholic missions in New France and supported the French.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026

The Five Nations of the Iroquois allied with several English colonies.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026

Geoff Wheel: The 32-cap lock helped Wales win three Five Nations titles, including two Grand Slams and a hat-trick of Triple Crowns.

From BBC ● Dec. 18, 2025

As a diplomat, he negotiated with the confederacy of Five Nations in 1744; in those days, knowledge of Indian ways was an essential part of the statesman’s toolkit.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann

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