Native American

noun

plural Native Americans

: a member of any of the Indigenous peoples of the western hemisphere

especially : a Native American of North America and especially the U.S.

Native American adjective

Examples of Native American in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Since the hair was identified in the early 1990s by a researcher shortly after NAGPRA’s passing, the federal law required institutions to repatriate Native American remains in their collections. — Andy Battaglia, ARTnews.com, 8 July 2026

By then, the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) was already in place mandating the return of remains, but museums contested the regulation on whether hair samples also needed to be repatriated. — News Desk, Artforum, 8 July 2026

But family legend has it that the one brother who settled on the island married a Native American and began a long line of Gendrons. — Andrew Carter, Chicago Tribune, 5 July 2026

Critics argued that the message of a White man elevated above both a Native American and an African symbolized racial superiority. — Lee Cowan, CBS News, 21 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1628, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

Native American

noun

: a member of any of the Indigenous peoples of the western hemisphere

especially : a Native American of North America and especially the U.S. compare american indian

Native American adjective