Pashtun
noun
Pash·tun
ˌpəsh-ˈtün 
variants
or less commonly Pushtun
plural Pashtuns also Pushtuns or Pashtun also Pushtun
: a member of a people of eastern and southern Afghanistan and adjacent parts of Pakistan
Examples of Pashtun in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Cricket’s appeal to the Taliban may be partly rooted in the sport’s long-standing popularity in ethnic Pashtun communities, where the Taliban has traditionally drawn its strongest support.
—
Rick Noack, Washington Post, 27 Feb. 2024
Whereas the Taliban were derived mostly of Afghans from the Pashtun east and south, Mazar-e-Sharif in the north, close to the Uzbekistan border, had significant populations of Uzbeks and Tajiks.
—Eric Adler, Kansas City Star, 7 Feb. 2024
This border contestation, mixed with Islamabad’s fears of Kabul backing Pashtun nationalist causes within Pakistan, has long undermined the trust between the two countries.
—Aqil Shah, Foreign Affairs, 9 Jan. 2024
As a result, many rural Pashtun women actually saw their lives improve following the imposition of Sharia law.
—Ross McDonnell, The New Yorker, 6 Sep. 2023
As a result, a succession of Afghan governments continued to refuse to recognize the Durand Line as a legal frontier, aligned Afghanistan with India against Pakistan, and periodically attempted to stir up Pashtun ethnic separatism in Pakistan.
—Anatol Lieven, Time, 19 Aug. 2021
Rural Pashtun, the ethnic group that provides the Taliban with most of its manpower, were among those who suffered the most during the war because the bulk of the fighting took place in their areas.
—Abdulkader Sinno, The Conversation, 16 Aug. 2021
Many powerful Pashtun tribes, such as the Ghilzais, the Ishaqzais, and the Noorzais, felt cut out.
—Christina Lamb, Foreign Affairs, 22 June 2021
Soldiers from Tajik tribes were sent into Pashtun provinces to fight Pashtun Taliban.
—Bing West, WSJ, 22 Apr. 2021
Rick Noack, Washington Post, 27 Feb. 2024
Whereas the Taliban were derived mostly of Afghans from the Pashtun east and south, Mazar-e-Sharif in the north, close to the Uzbekistan border, had significant populations of Uzbeks and Tajiks.
—Eric Adler, Kansas City Star, 7 Feb. 2024
This border contestation, mixed with Islamabad’s fears of Kabul backing Pashtun nationalist causes within Pakistan, has long undermined the trust between the two countries.
—Aqil Shah, Foreign Affairs, 9 Jan. 2024
As a result, many rural Pashtun women actually saw their lives improve following the imposition of Sharia law.
—Ross McDonnell, The New Yorker, 6 Sep. 2023
As a result, a succession of Afghan governments continued to refuse to recognize the Durand Line as a legal frontier, aligned Afghanistan with India against Pakistan, and periodically attempted to stir up Pashtun ethnic separatism in Pakistan.
—Anatol Lieven, Time, 19 Aug. 2021
Rural Pashtun, the ethnic group that provides the Taliban with most of its manpower, were among those who suffered the most during the war because the bulk of the fighting took place in their areas.
—Abdulkader Sinno, The Conversation, 16 Aug. 2021
Many powerful Pashtun tribes, such as the Ghilzais, the Ishaqzais, and the Noorzais, felt cut out.
—Christina Lamb, Foreign Affairs, 22 June 2021
Soldiers from Tajik tribes were sent into Pashtun provinces to fight Pashtun Taliban.
—Bing West, WSJ, 22 Apr. 2021
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'Pashtun.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near Pashtun
Cite this Entry
“Pashtun.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Pashtun. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.
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