Apache

noun

ə-ˈpa-chē 

in sense 3

ə-ˈpash 

plural Apache or Apaches ə-ˈpa-chēz 

-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

: ruffian

Apachean

ə-ˈpa-chē-ən 

adjective or noun

Examples of Apache in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The San Carlos Apache Tribe and a consortium of environmentalists and Arizona tribes filed their own suits. —Debra Utacia Krol, AZCentral.com, 30 July 2025

For example: Apache Kafka or AWS Kinesis for high-throughput, real-time streaming. —Jagadish Gokavarapu, Forbes.com, 29 July 2025

Our guide, George, was an Apache Native American, whose preferred way to explore the canyon was on a mountain bike. —Devorah Lev-Tov, Travel + Leisure, 26 July 2025

The alert was created after the passage of Emily's Law in May 2025, named in memory of Emily Pike, a member of the San Carlos Apache Tribe, who was found dead in February. —Alia Shoaib, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 July 2025

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

1703, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for Apache

• catchy
• patchy
• scratchy
• malachi

Kids Definition

Apache

noun

ə-ˈpach-ē 

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