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.
The city grabbed international attention in 2001, when the Sunni Pashtun Taliban authorities destroyed two large Buddha statues cherished by the predominantly Shia Hazara community in the region.
From Barron's • Feb. 1, 2026
Born in Afghanistan in 1980, Maiwand Banayee was the youngest son in a Pashtun family.
From BBC • Oct. 10, 2025
One of the leaders in the anti-Soviet resistance was the Pashtun commander Jalaluddin Haqqani.
From Seattle Times • Jul. 4, 2023
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
“Remember this,” Baba said, pointing at me, “The man is a Pashtun to the root. He has nang and namoos.”
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.
