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• Native American
  Native American

  noun

  Indian.
• native American
  native American

  noun

  a person born in the United States.

Native American

¹ American  

[ney-tiv uh-mer-i-kuhn] / ˈneɪ tɪv əˈmɛr ɪ kən /

noun

1. Indian.

2. a member of any of the aboriginal peoples of the Americas, including Indians and non-Indians.

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native American ² American  

noun

1. a person born in the United States.

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Native American British  

noun

1. A member of the indigenous peoples of North America

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adjective

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of Native Americans or any of their languages

Sensitive Note

See Indian, Eskimo.

Other Word Forms

• native-American
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of native American

An Americanism dating back to 1835–45

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Native American native American

A Native American woman looks back on a life of shapeshifting identities.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 30, 2026

In the Native American literary community, Sarris has often felt excluded from discourse.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 24, 2026

Native American tradition speaks of a type of shapeshifter known as a tolik, or human bear, who can cast lethal spells on their enemies.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 11, 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

Features of American wild plants also contributed to the lesser competitiveness of Native American food production.

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

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

Although the variant was established in Asia as a result of interbreeding between Denisovans and sapiens, it also spread to European and native American populations.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 30, 2023

Ancient music, such as Gregorian chants; new music, such as some experimental twentieth-century art music; and Non-Western music, such as some native American flute music, may not have a strong, repetitive pattern of beats.

From "Understanding Basic Music Theory" by Catherine Schmidt-Jones and Russel Jones