Kiowa

noun

Ki·​o·​wa ˈkī-ə-ˌwȯ  -ˌwä  -ˌwā 

1

plural Kiowa or Kiowas : a member of an Indigenous people of the southern Great Plains

Note: Modern-day members live as the federally recognized Kiowa Indian Tribe of Oklahoma.

2

: the language of the Kiowa people

Examples of Kiowa in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The southeast corner of Colorado is also under a tornado watch, with tennis-ball-sized hail and winds up to 75 mph possible in Baca, Bent, Kiowa and Prowers counties. —Lauren Penington, Denver Post, 6 June 2025

Measles cases have been reported in eight counties in that area: Finney, Ford, Grant, Gray, Haskell, Kiowa, Morton and Stevens counties. Elsewhere, measles case as have been reported in Pawnee, Reno and Sedgwick counties. —Robert A. Cronkleton, Kansas City Star, 29 May 2025

He is joined on this journey by his new deputy, Jim Chee (Kiowa Gordon). —Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 27 May 2025

Further south, the storm also downed power lines and trees in Kiowa County, Kan., the sheriff’s office said. —Amy Graff, New York Times, 18 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

ultimately from Kiowa kɔ́ygú, a self-designation

First Known Use

1808, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

Kiowa

noun

Ki·​o·​wa ˈkī-ə-ˌwȯ  -ˌwä 

plural Kiowa or Kiowas

: a member of an Indigenous people of what are now Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas