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Shona

American  
[shoh-nuh] / ˈʃoʊ nə /

noun

Shonas, plural Shona plural
  1. Also called Mashona.  a member of a group of peoples constituting more than two thirds of the population of Zimbabwe.

  2. the Bantu language of the Shona.


Shona British  
/ ˈʃɒnə /

noun

  1. a member of a Sotho people of S central Africa, living chiefly in Zimbabwe and Mozambique

  2. the language of this people, belonging to the Bantu group of the Niger-Congo family

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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Noun Inflected Forms

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:

"Our first kiss was magical," said Shona, who was a performing arts teacher when she signed up to the show.

From BBC May 18, 2026

Within asset management broadly, everyone is using AI these days, said Shona O’Hea, head of asset management industry for Grant Thornton Advisors.

From The Wall Street Journal Apr. 21, 2026

Shona Campbell and Lucia Scott ran in tries for Scotland after a huge momentum shift in the second half, while Wales captain Kate Williams pulled one back to set up a frantic finale.

From BBC Apr. 11, 2026

Shona Robison, who was the finance and local government secretary at the time of the announcement, said the funding would "enable businesses to access financial help quickly while ensuring support reaches those most in need."

From BBC Apr. 4, 2026

My father loved the sound and meaning of Watende, a Shona word that means “revenge will not be sought,” a concept that aligned with his gentle spirit.

From "The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates" by Wes Moore

The worshipers were Shonas, which is Zimbabwe’s dominant ethnic group, and Shona was the language being spoken.

From New York Times Jun. 2, 2011

But Muzorewa was so discredited by his association with the whites and his failure to deliver on campaign promises that most of the Shonas voted for Mugabe.

From Time Magazine Archive

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