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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

Derived Forms

• native-American
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of native American

An Americanism dating back to 1835–45

Example Sentences

“He’s a Native American guitar player not a lot of people know enough about,” says Anders.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 10, 2026

The findings may also prove valuable for Native American tribes located within or near the park.

From Science Daily • Jun. 2, 2026

Braddock’s column was ambushed by French and Native American forces at the Battle of the Monongahela.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 22, 2026

Some of it was spent gathering input from residents, public health groups, Native American governments and companies — feedback the agency addressed in subsequent rewrites.

From Salon • May 10, 2026

Two Native American peoples, the Aztecs and the Incas, ruled over empires with stone tools.

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