Pashtun
noun
Pash·tun
ˌpəsh-ˈtün 
variants
or less commonly Pushtun
plural Pashtuns also Pushtuns or Pashtun also Pushtun
: a member of a people of eastern and southern Afghanistan and adjacent parts of Pakistan
Examples of Pashtun in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The head of Kashmir, Hari Singh, initially sought to become independent, then joined India after Pakistan and Pashtun tribesmen invaded.
—
Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 24 Apr. 2025
The restaurant’s name, Jaji, pays homage to Akbar’s lineage, drawing from both her grandfather’s surname and her Pashtun tribal roots.
—Chelsea Davis, Forbes, 19 Mar. 2025
With sufficiently poor governance, even certain Pashtun tribes could revolt.
—Carter Malkasian, Foreign Affairs, 13 Sep. 2022
Advertisement Most of the men were from Pashtun areas of Baluchistan.
—Abdul Sattar, Los Angeles Times, 11 Oct. 2024
In the 1990s, Pakistani support for the Taliban, which is a predominantly Pashtun group, demonstrated the power of this connection.
—Kamran Bokhari, Foreign Affairs, 11 Jan. 2022
The clans of two rival Pashtun tribes dominate the area, feuding like Hatfields and McCoys of the borderlands.
—Matthieu Aikins Victor J. Blue Peter Ganim Krish Seenivasan Steven Szczesniak, New York Times, 22 May 2024
Cricket’s appeal to the Taliban may be partly rooted in the sport’s long-standing popularity in ethnic Pashtun communities, where the Taliban has traditionally drawn its strongest support.
—Rick Noack, Washington Post, 27 Feb. 2024
Whereas the Taliban were derived mostly of Afghans from the Pashtun east and south, Mazar-e-Sharif in the north, close to the Uzbekistan border, had significant populations of Uzbeks and Tajiks.
—Eric Adler, Kansas City Star, 7 Feb. 2024
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Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 24 Apr. 2025
The restaurant’s name, Jaji, pays homage to Akbar’s lineage, drawing from both her grandfather’s surname and her Pashtun tribal roots.
—Chelsea Davis, Forbes, 19 Mar. 2025
With sufficiently poor governance, even certain Pashtun tribes could revolt.
—Carter Malkasian, Foreign Affairs, 13 Sep. 2022
Advertisement Most of the men were from Pashtun areas of Baluchistan.
—Abdul Sattar, Los Angeles Times, 11 Oct. 2024
In the 1990s, Pakistani support for the Taliban, which is a predominantly Pashtun group, demonstrated the power of this connection.
—Kamran Bokhari, Foreign Affairs, 11 Jan. 2022
The clans of two rival Pashtun tribes dominate the area, feuding like Hatfields and McCoys of the borderlands.
—Matthieu Aikins Victor J. Blue Peter Ganim Krish Seenivasan Steven Szczesniak, New York Times, 22 May 2024
Cricket’s appeal to the Taliban may be partly rooted in the sport’s long-standing popularity in ethnic Pashtun communities, where the Taliban has traditionally drawn its strongest support.
—Rick Noack, Washington Post, 27 Feb. 2024
Whereas the Taliban were derived mostly of Afghans from the Pashtun east and south, Mazar-e-Sharif in the north, close to the Uzbekistan border, had significant populations of Uzbeks and Tajiks.
—Eric Adler, Kansas City Star, 7 Feb. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Pashtun.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Pashtun. Accessed 3 Jul. 2025.
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