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

“In the beginning there was nothing but Spider Woman,” say Navajo and Pueblo elders.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 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

“Is this your uncle, kid?” the Navajo officer asked.

From "Healer of the Water Monster" by Brian Young

I knew that my captive daughter was in the hands of the Navajoes.

From The Scalp Hunters by F.A. Stewart

The Apaches have committed no depredations of late, but the Navajoes have broken their treaty by stealing several thousand sheep from the settlements on the Rio del Norte.

From The International Monthly, Volume 2, No. 4, March, 1851 by Various

The tribes residing and roaming within the limits of New Mexico are the Navajoes; the Mescalero, Gila, and Jicarilla bands of Apaches; the Muache, Capote, and Weeminuche bands of Utes; and the Pueblos.

From The Indian Question (1874) by Francis Amasa Walker

Navajoes now number 9,114, an increase of 880 over last year's enumeration.

From The Indian Question (1874) by Francis Amasa Walker

These were guests, who had come in from other villages of the Navajoes that lay farther to the north.

From The Scalp Hunters by F.A. Stewart

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

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 15, 2026

According to their creation story, Navajos were born out of the same earth and stone.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 7, 2024

Many Navajos died during a forced relocation known as the Long Walk, starting in 1863, and during a yearslong detention in eastern New Mexico.

From Seattle Times ● Sep. 1, 2023

“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

Like all the other Navajos who went through boot camp, I thought the food was fine.

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