Onondaga
Americannoun
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a member of a tribe of Iroquoian Indians formerly inhabiting the region of Onondaga Lake.
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the dialect of the Seneca language spoken by these Indians.
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Lake, a salt lake in central New York. 5 miles (8 km) long; 1 mile (1.6 km) wide.
noun
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a salt lake in central New York State. Area: about 13 sq km (5 sq miles)
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a member of a North American Indian Iroquois people formerly living between Lake Champlain and the St Lawrence River
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the language of this people, belonging to the Iroquoian family
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of Onondaga
From the Onondaga word onǫ́·tàʔke on the hill, the name of the main Onondaga town, at successive locations
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
At the Micron groundbreaking in January, Republican Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon celebrated the bipartisanship that allowed what he called a “red, white and blue” day.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 30, 2026
Micron recently broke ground on what the company says will eventually be a $100 billion chip-making complex in Onondaga County, N.Y.
From Barron's ● Jan. 27, 2026
On Friday, Micron broke ground on what the company says will eventually be a $100 billion “megafab” in Onondaga County, N.Y.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 17, 2026
At a news conference on Tuesday, Onondaga County District Attorney Bill Fitzpatrick had ordered the players to turn themselves in within 48 hours or risk being prosecuted as adults.
From BBC ● Apr. 30, 2025
It was made up of the Seneca, Cayuga, Onondaga, Oneida, and Mohawk Nations and was later joined by the Tuscaroras.
From "An Indigenous People’s History of the United States" by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz
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While an opinion could be years off, the Onondagas are used to waiting.
From Washington Times ● Sep. 30, 2023
The Onondagas have effectively spent more than 200 years seeking recognition their land was unlawfully taken.
From Washington Times ● Sep. 30, 2023
The Onondagas say they don’t want to force people from their homes.
From Washington Times ● Sep. 30, 2023
It happened that Charles Le Moyne of Montreal was also there, having been sent by La Barre to invite the Onondagas to a conference, as well as the Jesuit, Father Lamberville.
From Count Frontenac Makers of Canada, Volume 3 by LeSueur, William Dawson
The Iroquois, or People of the Long House, including the Mohawks, Oneidas, Onondagas, Cayugas, and Senecas, were enemies of the Algonquin tribes and hostile to the French.
From The Life and Times of Kateri Tekakwitha The Lily of the Mohawks by Walworth, Ellen H.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.