Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
×

An Encyclopædia Britannica Company

Afghan

play
noun Af·ghan \ˈaf-ˌgan also -gən\

Definition of Afghan

  1. 1a (1) :  pashtun (2) :  pashtob :  a native or inhabitant of Afghanistan

  2. 2 not capitalized :  a blanket or shawl of colored yarn knitted or crocheted in strips or squares

  3. 3 not capitalized :  a Turkoman carpet of large size and long pile woven in geometric designs

  4. 4 :  afghan hound

Afghan

or

Afghani

play play \af-ˈga-nē, -ˈgä-\ adjective

See Afghan defined for English-language learners

See Afghan defined for kids

From the M-W Editors

alt-59721dd897313
The 'Best' Way to Sign Off On An E-mail
video-title-words-of-the-year-1066
Words of the Year: 1066
image386126722
Words That Come From the Dinner Table
emoji-the-quiz
The Emoji Quiz

Origin and Etymology of afghan

Persian afghān Pashtun

AFGHAN Defined for English Language Learners

Afghan

play
noun

Definition of Afghan for English Language Learners

  • : a person born, raised, or living in Afghanistan

Learn More about afghan

  1. See words that rhyme with Afghan Spanish Central: Translation of Afghan Nglish: Translation of Afghan for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of Afghan for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about Afghan

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up Afghan? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show hide

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

WORD OF THE DAY

advise

play

to counsel, recommend, or inform

Get Word of the Day daily email!

TRENDING NOW

  1. scaramouch A new White House communications director

  2. non sequitur “It does not follow”

  3. admiral's mast A massive search ends with an 'admiral's mast'.

  4. calumny 'An untrue statement that is made to damage someone's reputation'

  5. kakistocracy Frustrated Twitter users have been searching for this word.

SEE ALL

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Afghan

Test Your Vocabulary

The Emoji Quiz

  • emoji-the-quiz
  • What phase of the moon is this: 🌖 ?
How Strong Is Your Vocabulary?

Test your vocabulary with our 10-question quiz!

TAKE THE QUIZ
SCRABBLE® Sprint

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play

alt-59721dd897313
The 'Best' Way to Sign Off On An E-mail

Give them your best

image386126722
Words and Phrases That Come from the Dinner Table

Fill your plate with these surprising food words

ghost-being-disinvited-from-party
'Disinvite' or 'Uninvite'?

A disinvited guest is an uninvited problem

alt-596f730ceb5ae
Words We're Watching: 'Scoby'

Kombucha lovers unite.

Ask the Editors

video-title-words-of-the-year-1066
Words of the Year: 1066

Or, Why Pig Meat is Called 'Pork' and Cow Meat is Called 'Beef'

payday
How Often Is 'Biweekly'?

Don't get us started on 'bimonthly'

video-irregardless-grammar-peeve-blend-of-the-synonyms-irrespective-and-regardless
Irregardless

It is in fact a real word (but that doesn't mean you should use it).

video-moose-goose-weird-plurals
Weird Plurals

One goose, two geese. One moose, two... moose. What's up with that?

Word Games

emoji-the-quiz
The Emoji Quiz

Think you’re an emoji 👓 expert? Let’s see 🤔

Take the quiz
image941935269
A Game of Thrones Word Quiz

In the Game of Thrones quiz, you learn some new vocabulary. (It’s quite safe, really. You will not die.)

Take the quiz
How Strong Is Your Vocabulary?
How Strong Is Your Vocabulary?

Test your vocabulary with our 10-question quiz!

Take the quiz
SCRABBLE® Sprint
SCRABBLE® Sprint

SCRABBLE® fans, sharpen your skills!

Play the game