Native American
noun
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Native American
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native American
native Americannouna person born in the United States.
Native American
1 American
[ney-tiv uh-mer-i-kuhn]
/ ˈneɪ tɪv əˈmɛr ɪ kən /
noun
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a member of any of the aboriginal peoples of the Americas, including Indians and non-Indians.
native American
2
American
noun
Native American
British
noun
adjective
Sensitive Note
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of native American
An Americanism dating back to 1835–45
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:
The railroads brought settlers pouring into America’s interior, igniting conflict with Native American tribes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 1, 2026
A Native American woman looks back on a life of shapeshifting identities.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 30, 2026
It was in these formative years that Greg became acquainted with Native American people in Santa Rosa, always feeling a mysterious pull toward them.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 24, 2026
“He’s a Native American guitar player not a lot of people know enough about,” says Anders.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 10, 2026
Most linguists specializing in Native American languages do not discern large, clear-cut groupings other than Eskimo-Aleut and Na-Dene.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
States receiving funds had to consult with unions, native American tribes and “local community organizations” on their plans to expand broadband.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 28, 2025
He owned or leased about 18,000 acres and put them all to work: as full-sized sets representing Old West towns, a Dutch village with a windmill, Swiss and Puritan and native American and fishing settlements.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 25, 2025
Their names originate from native American culture to reflect what was happening in nature and as a method of using the lunar phase for timekeeping.
From BBC ● Dec. 31, 2024
Rather than lose the unique and native American tree and replace it with a newly created hybrid, they hope to cure the native species before it disappears.
From Salon ● Dec. 18, 2023
When Cortes and his bedraggled adventurers landed on the Mexican coast in 1519, they might have been driven into the sea by thousands of Aztec cavalry mounted on domesticated native American horses.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
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.
