Zulu
Americannoun
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Zulus,
plural
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Zulu
plural
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a member of a Nguni people living mainly in Natal, Republic of South Africa.
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the Bantu language of the Zulu.
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a word used in communications to represent the letter Z.
adjective
noun
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a member of a tall Negroid people of SE Africa, living chiefly in South Africa, who became dominant during the 19th century due to a warrior-clan system organized by the powerful leader, Shaka
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the language of this people, belonging to the Bantu group of the Niger-Congo family, closely related to Swazi and Xhosa
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communications a code word for the letter z
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of Zulu
from Zulu amaZulu people of the sky
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:
Mr. Simon is already familiar with the music of Ladysmith Black Mambazo, a 10-member a capella Zulu choir known for its bass-heavy harmonies.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
The series shows otherwise and, she argues, is the richer for being filmed in the Zulu language: "English doesn't carry the same cultural richness that our languages do."
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026
Shaka Zulu was a famed leader of the Zulu nation.
From BBC ● May 22, 2026
Afrika Bambaataa, the influential rapper and DJ who helped shape the culture of hip-hop with his legendary Zulu Nation block parties in the South Bronx, has died.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 14, 2026
A Zulu from Durban, he had become the leader of the Natal region of MK.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
He was also the prime minister of KwaZulu, the homeland of 6 million Zulus, and the founder of the Inkatha Freedom Party, a Zulu political and cultural movement with 1.9 million members.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 15, 2023
A fitting choice, because the holiday was previously known as Shaka's Day - a time when thousands of Zulus would visit his grave to honour him for uniting the Zulu nation.
From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2022
Monarchy: A royal family feuds over who should be king of the Zulus.
From New York Times ● Aug. 17, 2022
The band's name derives from the small farming town its members are from, the black oxen which were most prized among pastoral Zulus, and 'mambazo' - the Zulu word for 'axe'.
From Reuters ● Jul. 18, 2022
Indeed, many Natalians thought of themselves as white Zulus.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
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.
