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 pack was linked to livestock conflicts in the Apache National Forest. —John Leos, AZCentral.com, 24 Aug. 2025

Here, tools like Apache Kafka and Archer can help to ensure your team always works with the latest information. —Ramachander Rao Thallada, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2025

Others say there are only two, the Eastern, and the Apache that lives in the Chiricahua Mountains of southeastern Arizona and in Mexico. —Charles Elliott, Outdoor Life, 21 Aug. 2025

At Superstition Shadows Park in Apache Junction, Arizona, kids play T-ball and baseball in the evenings, when the darkness offers a brief respite from the summer heat. —Adithi Ramakrishnan, Twin Cities, 21 Aug. 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