Apache

noun

plural Apache or Apaches ə-ˈpa-chēz How to pronounce Apache (audio)
-ˈpash,
-ˈpa-shəz
1
: a member of a group of Indigenous peoples of the southwestern U.S.
2
: any of the Athabascan languages of the Apache people
3
not capitalized [French, from Apache Apache Indian]
a
: a member of a gang of criminals especially in Paris
b
Apachean adjective or noun

Examples of Apache in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Failure to update an element of the Apache Struts networking software was identified as a key point of failure. Bernard Marr, Forbes.com, 4 July 2025 Pike, a 14-year-old who went missing from a Mesa, Ariz. group home in January, was found dismembered in trash bags near the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation in Arizona the following month. Michael Nied, People.com, 1 July 2025 One of the religious liberty cases the justices decided not to take involved a group of Native American activists and supporters looking to block a copper mining company from destroying an Apache religious site. Jack Birle, The Washington Examiner, 29 June 2025 Bluehost offers three antispam tools (Apache Spam Assassin, Spam Experts, and Spam Hammer), as well as hotlink protection. PC Magazine, 24 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for Apache

Word History

Etymology

American Spanish, perhaps from Zuni ʔa·paču Navajo, Apachean

First Known Use

1703, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of Apache was in 1703

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Cite this Entry

“Apache.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Apache. Accessed 12 Jul. 2025.

Kids Definition

Apache

noun
plural Apache or Apaches
: a member of a group of Indigenous peoples of the southwestern U.S.
also : any of the languages of the Apache people

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