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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

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

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 24, 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

In addition, Native American armies had no animals to oppose to horses, whose value for assaults and fast transport gave Europeans an overwhelming advantage until some Native American societies themselves adopted them.

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