American Indian

noun

plural American Indians

: a member of any of the Indigenous peoples of the western hemisphere except often certain peoples (such as the Yupik and Inuit) who live in arctic regions

especially : an American Indian of North America and especially the U.S. compare native american

American Indian adjective

Examples of American Indian in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Anti-war, Black Power, the Chicano Movement, and, of course, the American Indian Movement. —Chadd Scott, Forbes.com, 11 July 2025

The study found that the suicide rate among American Indian and Alaska Native adolescents was the highest of any racial or ethnic group. —Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 10 July 2025

Women's and Native American commissions The Indiana Commission for Women and the Native American Indian Affairs Commission, both of which had roughly $100,000 budgets, are gone entirely from this budget. —Kayla Dwyer, IndyStar, 2 July 2025

For Native Americans, or American Indian and Alaska Natives as they are labeled by the Census Bureau, Mecklenburg County saw the highest growth in the region for that population. —Desiree Mathurin, Charlotte Observer, 26 June 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1650, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for American Indian

• amerindian

Kids Definition

American Indian

noun

: a member of any of the Indigenous peoples of the western hemisphere except often certain peoples (as the Yupik and Inuit) who live in arctic regions

especially : an American Indian of North America and especially the U.S.

American Indian adjective