Ute

noun

ˈyüt 

1

plural Ute or Utes : a member of an Indigenous people originally ranging through Utah, Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico

Note: Current-day members live as part of the federally recognized Ute Indian Tribe (Northern Ute) of the Uinta and Ouray Reservation of Northeastern Utah or the federally recognized Southern Ute Tribe of Colorado.

2

: the Uto-Aztecan language of the Ute people

Examples of Ute in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The camp had been established to feed roughly 2,500 Ute Indians living at the nearby Los Pinos agency. — Kevin Strong, CBS News, 12 June 2026

The exhibit highlights three -- the Cheyenne, Arapaho and Ute. — Anna Alejo, CBS News, 7 Apr. 2026

Despite the conditions, Simon Martinez, the general manager of the Ute Mountain Ute Farm and Ranch Enterprise in Towaoc, Colorado, remains cautiously optimistic. — Rj Sangosti, Denver Post, 5 Apr. 2026

The biggest selling model in February was Ford’s Ranger, followed by the Toyota HiLux, the Cherry Tigo 4 Pro, the Mazda CX-5 and the Isuzu Ute D-Max. — Michael Taylor, Forbes.com, 26 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

short for earlier Utah, Utaw, from American Spanish Yuta

First Known Use

1846, in the meaning defined at sense 1