Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Jump To:
  • Tonto
    Tonto
    noun
    a federally recognized tribe of Apache people of Arizona.
  • tonto
    tonto
    noun
    a foolish or silly person.

Tonto

1 American  
[tahn-toh] / ˈtɑn toʊ /

noun

Tontos plural
  1. a federally recognized tribe of Apache people of Arizona.

  2. the Apache language of a federally recognized tribe of Arizona.


tonto 2 American  
[tahn-toh] / ˈtɑn toʊ /

noun

tontos plural
  1. a foolish or silly person.


adjective

  1. British. foolish; strange; crazy.

Other Word Forms

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:

The pair devised an instrument they called Tonto, a 12-foot-long collection of synthesizer modules connected by cables—“the finest of Rube Goldberg machines.”

From The Wall Street Journal Jun. 26, 2026

As proposed, the mine would turn Oak Flat — a long-preserved site of rocky outcroppings and desert waterways on the edge of the Tonto National Forest — into a nearly two-mile-wide, 1,000-foot-deep industrial crater.

From Los Angeles Times Aug. 21, 2025

The environmental analysis will have to be republished before a swap of the Tonto National Forest land can go forward.

From Seattle Times Mar. 20, 2023

“Given current drought conditions and the ‘very high’ fire danger level, it is too risky for these activities,” said Taiga Rohrer, fire management officer for the Tonto National Forest.

From Washington Times Apr. 30, 2022

When The Lone Ranger came to television, she would watch it just to see Jay Silverheels, the actor who played Tonto.

From "Bad Boy" by Walter Dean Myers

Folk singers have crooned about it, politicians seeking a common touch take a sip when hunting for votes, and traditional ceremonies terminate at dusk with tonto parties.

From Seattle Times Jan. 1, 2024

This is partly because the retail price of tonto has been largely static over the decades, while the process of brewing it has become more cumbersome.

From Seattle Times Jan. 1, 2024

The event is so important in the family’s routine that they can’t imagine a time when there would no tonto to sell.

From Seattle Times Jan. 1, 2024

"I certainly think he has gone full tonto," Wallace said.

From Reuters Feb. 25, 2022

The granite, when it attains its highest point, is covered with a 200-foot layer of sedimentary rock called the tonto sandstone.

From Through the Grand Canyon from Wyoming to Mexico by Kolb, E. L. (Ellsworth Leonardson)

The Tontos jeered at them; their young braves taunted ours, and our young women were afraid.

From Tonio, Son of the Sierras A Story of the Apache War by Post, Charles J.

"And now Willett has lost his, and presumably the Tontos, or perhaps the Apache-Mohaves, have got it!"

From Tonio, Son of the Sierras A Story of the Apache War by Post, Charles J.

Strong scouting-parties had gone thitherward, too, for "the Chief" was bound to bring these Tontos to terms; but our orders were explicit: "Thoroughly scout the east face of the Matitzal."

From Starlight Ranch and Other Stories of Army Life on the Frontier by King, Charles

The renegades of northern Arizona in the earliest of the seventies were mainly Tontos, but many a young brave of the Apache Mohave tribe had cast his lot with them.

From Tonio, Son of the Sierras A Story of the Apache War by Post, Charles J.

The horses, too, delighted the Tontos, and, as Pike said, they would doubtless be occupied some little time with the division of the spoils, and longer in having a grand feast.

From Sunset Pass or Running the Gauntlet Through Apache Land by King, Charles

I started up, willing to observe whatever might be visible, or have the satisfaction of showing them what tontos they were.

From Mexico Its Ancient and Modern Civilisation, History, Political Conditions, Topography, Natural Resources, Industries and General Development by Hume, Martin

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Join 12,000,000 vocabulary learners

Start learning new words today on VocabTrainer.
You'll remember them forever.

Start training