Tonto

¹ American  

[tahn-toh] / ˈtɑn toʊ /

noun

plural

Tontos

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

plural

tontos

1. a foolish or silly person.

---

adjective

1. British. foolish; strange; crazy.

Example Sentences

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

Oak Flat sits on the edge of the Tonto National Forest property, where Resolution is proposing the project.

From Seattle Times • Jun. 28, 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

But Beck believes a seven-day hike will help heal old wounds, and so they head out over Tonto Platform to Boucher Trail.

From New York Times • Oct. 25, 2021

I think that as we listened to the William Tell Overture, we were supposed to be imagining the Lone Ranger and Tonto riding their horses through the desert.

From "Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe" by Benjamin Alire Saenz