Navajo

American  

[nav-uh-hoh, nah-vuh-] / ˈnæv əˌhoʊ, ˈnɑ və- /

Or Navaho

noun

• Navajos,
  plural
• Navajoes,
  plural
• Navajo
  plural

1. Also called Diné. a member of the most populous nation of the southern division of Athabascan Native Americans, located in New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah, and now constituting the largest tribal group in the United States.

2. the Athabascan language of the Navajo.

---

adjective

1. Also of, relating to, or characteristic of the Navajo, their language, or their culture.

   a Navajo blanket.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• Navajo
  plural
• Navajoes
  plural
• Navajos
  plural

---

Etymology

Origin of Navajo

First recorded in 1800–10; from American Spanish Apaches de Nabajú “Apaches of Nabajú” (Navajo and several Apachean languages are mutually intelligible), originally a place name applied to the Largo Canyon region of the Four Corners area of northwest New Mexico, from Tewa navahu “large arroyo with cultivated fields”; see also Diné ( def. )

---

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Navajo Navajoes Navajos

Closer to Lake Powell, the Drought Severity Evaluation Tool, co-developed with the Navajo Nation, allows leaders to track localized drought indicators, precipitation patterns, and vegetation health across tribal lands.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 23, 2026

In addition to San Diego County, its partners include the California Department of Public Health, the Navajo Nation and organizations across the broader Insight Net network.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 15, 2026

When I complimented the motel sign, Novak told how, in late 2025, an older Navajo man named Ernie showed up, said he’d painted the motel sign about 40 years ago and offered to repaint it.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 12, 2026

Last year, the Navajo Nation president said his office had received reports of tribal citizens in Arizona and New Mexico getting caught up in the crackdown on undocumented immigrants.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 15, 2026

That is why we now have so many Navajo families like our own with the last name of Begay.

From "Code Talker: A Novel About the Navajo Marines of World War Two" by Joseph Bruchac

On one side were the Navajoes, with consternation in their looks, for the warriors had recognised their children.

From The Scalp Hunters by F.A. Stewart

The Navajoes, about twenty-two thousand in number, now own more than twelve million acres in Arizona and New Mexico.

From The Indian To-day The Past and Future of the First American by Charles Alexander Eastman

The Navajoes knew that they themselves were well armed for close conflict.

From The Scalp Hunters by F.A. Stewart

Four of the Danites held the passage against a hundred warriors, and the Navajoes were repulsed.

From Frank Merriwell's Bravery by Burt L. Standish

For the next two illustrations of spinning, by the Navajoes, Camanches, and other tribes of New Mexico, the Patent Office is indebted to Judge Peters, of Santa Fe, New Mexico.

From The International Monthly, Volume 4, No. 3, October, 1851 by Various

The tribal official urged Navajos to carry state-issued identification or their “Certificate of Indian blood.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 15, 2026

The Navajos have one of the largest single outstanding claims in the Colorado River basin and officials say the needs across the territory exceed the proposed price tag of $5 billion.

From Seattle Times ● May 24, 2024

The Navajos live in the same 1,400-mile-long Colorado River Basin that brings fresh water to millions in Southern California, yet about 30% of homes on the reservation were built without indoor plumbing.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 7, 2024

“The Navajos do not contend that the United States has interfered with their access to water,” he wrote.

From New York Times ● Jun. 22, 2023

Back then, celebrating your birthday was still not a common thing for us Navajos.

From "Code Talker: A Novel About the Navajo Marines of World War Two" by Joseph Bruchac

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---