native speaker

American  

[ney-tiv spee-ker] / ˈneɪ tɪv ˈspi kər /

noun

native speakers plural

1. a person whose knowledge and use of a language is characterized by the fact that it is their first or native language, a language that a person acquires fully through extensive exposure in childhood: The first requirement is that you can hold a one-minute conversation with a native speaker of German.

   As native speakers, we are often not conscious of the conjugation rules we follow.

   The first requirement is that you can hold a one-minute conversation with a native speaker of German.

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native speaker British  

noun

1. a person having a specified native language

   a native speaker of Cree

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• native speakers
  plural

Etymology

Origin of native speaker

First recorded in 1855–60; see also nonnative speaker ( def. )

Example Sentences

“This is definitely a native space by natives for natives,” Robbins said, “We want people to come, learn, and experience what it’s like when we come together and build this beautiful Indigenous future.”

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 9, 2024

Now Amidon's eyes sought hers again, and held there; and the twin worlds, sphered in some slowly-turning orbit, seemed swinging in their native space.

From Double Trouble Or, Every Hero His Own Villain by Lowell, Orson