Ute

noun

ˈyüt 

1

plural Ute or Utes : a member of an Indigenous people originally ranging through Utah, Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico

Note: Current-day members live as part of the federally recognized Ute Indian Tribe (Northern Ute) of the Uinta and Ouray Reservation of Northeastern Utah or the federally recognized Southern Ute Tribe of Colorado.

2

: the Uto-Aztecan language of the Ute people

Examples of Ute in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

For the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, the roadblock is a quirk in the laws that settled its water rights, which prohibits the tribe from using the portion of its water held in Lake Nighthorse, a reservoir in Colorado, for agriculture. —Mark Olalde, ProPublica, 5 July 2023

Acoma, Apache, Diné (Navajo), Havasupai, Hopi, Hualapai, Pai, Ute, Yavapai and Zuni peoples will be represented, and the event will include traditional dances and music and talks from cultural experts, according to the museum. —Michael Salerno, The Arizona Republic, 8 June 2023

The monument is located within the homelands of the Ute Indian Tribe, and at the heart of Colorado ski country. —Laura Kiniry, Smithsonian Magazine, 6 June 2023

Who were the Native people of Black Canyon of the Gunnison? Both the National Park Service and Colorado State Library note Ute Indians lived in the area, but not in Black Canyon itself. —Eve Chen, USA TODAY, 27 May 2023

The Navajo, Ute Mountain Indians and Southern Utes are all in close proximity of Farmington. —Antonio Planas, NBC News, 15 May 2023

Word History

Etymology

short for earlier Utah, Utaw, from American Spanish Yuta

First Known Use

1846, in the meaning defined at sense 1