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

Bryant and Creeden were booked into the Cherokee County Adult Detention Center and are being held on a $3,812 bond, according to the sheriff's office. — Zachary Bynum, CBS News, 23 June 2026

Steele’s video shows a black Jeep Cherokee pass his vehicle on the left shoulder, hitting the front of his vehicle and careening across lanes of traffic to strike Wright’s SUV. — Grant Lancaster, Arkansas Online, 23 June 2026

In the post, Erin revealed that Ben bought her a Jeep Cherokee Country as a tribute to her old car that was totaled over 20 years ago. — Christopher Edwards, PEOPLE, 18 June 2026

Blood Mountain, Chattahoochee National Forest Blairsville, Georgia Legend has it that this mountain—the highest peak on the Georgia section of the Appalachian Trail—got its name from a bloody battle long ago between the Cherokee and Creek Indians. — Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 17 June 2026

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