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

Part Cherokee, her period garb of choice is a deerskin American Indian maiden’s dress. —Tina Li, Sacbee.com, 7 June 2025

The Georgia Department of Natural Resources Game Wardens, Cherokee County Fire Department, Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office, and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are all involved in the search. —Greta Cross, USA Today, 6 June 2025

What To Know Oklahoma counties that have been issued with severe thunderstorm warnings are Okfuskee, McIntosh, Muskogee, Craig, Rogers, Mayes, Wagoner, Seminole, Pottawatomie, Garvin, Cleveland, McClain and Cherokee. —Joe Edwards, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 June 2025

The child was hit by a Jeep Cherokee on May 27 in Gastonia, located west of Charlotte, police said. —Meredith Deliso, ABC News, 4 June 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