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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

Fans have suggested Native American food, soul food, hot dogs and fast-food chains.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026

Patterson wanted to center the film around a Native American woman who stops at nothing, he told AFP.

From Barron's ● Aug. 13, 2026

Though rare in much of the upper South, Native American influence is common in the Midwest and coastal New England.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026

He says a message from a Native American man who had red hair instantly aroused his curiosity.

From BBC ● Aug. 1, 2026

Southwest and Mississippi Valley to the modern American breadbaskets of California and Oregon, where Native American societies remained hunter-gatherers merely because they lacked appropriate domesticates.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

It is estimated the spread of non native American mink saw 90% of water voles wiped out since the 1970s.

From BBC ● Jun. 30, 2026

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

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

Some suggestions: an unaccompanied violin or cello sonata, a flute, oboe, trumpet, or horn concerto, Asaian or native American flute music, classical guitar, bagpipes, steel pan drums, panpipes, or organ.

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