Cherokee

noun

Cher·​o·​kee ˈcher-ə-(ˌ)kē 

ˈche-rə-

1

plural Cherokee or Cherokees : a member of a nation of once-nomadic Indigenous peoples located originally in the Appalachian Mountains of Tennessee and North Carolina

2

: the Iroquoian language of the Cherokee people

Examples of Cherokee in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Officers with the Independence Police Department began pursuing a blue Jeep Cherokee just after 1 p.m. —Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 18 Apr. 2025

Limestone University is estimated to have a $150 million annual economic impact on Cherokee County where it is located. —Michael T. Nietzel, Forbes.com, 17 Apr. 2025

The vehicles were found to include a 2013 Dodge Dart, a 2018 Ford EcoSport and a 2013 Jeep Grand Cherokee. —Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 16 Apr. 2025

The Tlingit described it as the budding moon of plants and shrubs, the Cherokee called it the flower moon, and the Apache referred to it as the moon of the big leaves, according to Western Washington University’s site. —Kameryn Griesser, CNN Money, 12 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

probably ultimately from Creek calá·kki

First Known Use

1721, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing Cherokee

• Cherokee rose

Rhymes for Cherokee

• agree
• allee
• banshee
• beastly
• bibi
• bowsprit
• carefree
• cerci
• chablis
• cowpea
• crappie
• crappy

Kids Definition

Cherokee

noun

Cher·​o·​kee ˈcher-ə-ˌkē 

: a member of an Indigenous people originally from Tennessee and North Carolina

also : their language