Pashtun
Americannoun
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a people of eastern and southern Afghanistan and neighboring regions of northwest Pakistan; the dominant ethnic group in Afghanistan.
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Also called Pathan. a member of the Pashtun people.
adjective
Etymology
Origin of Pashtun
First recorded in 1810–20; from Pashto Pəx̌tānə, Pax̌tūn, Pəshtūn
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.
It also divides Pashtun communities who live on either side -- the ethnic group from which the Taliban, which returned to power in Kabul in 2021, draws much of its support.
From Barron's ● Jan. 4, 2026
Among the groups of mujahideen who fought the Soviets were young men from the Pashtun tribe who had studied at Islamic religious schools in Pakistan.
From Textbooks ● Dec. 14, 2022
The Taliban are hardline followers of the Sunni branch of Islam, and were previously almost exclusively associated with the Pashtun ethnicity.
From Reuters ● Aug. 17, 2022
The promise made by the Taliban - in Pashtun areas straddling Pakistan and Afghanistan - was to restore peace and security and enforce their own austere version of Sharia, or Islamic law, once in power.
From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2022
He is the Baba of my childhood, Toophan agha, the towering specimen of Pashtun might, not the withered man under the blankets, the man with the sunken cheeks and hollow eyes.
From "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini
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.
