Lakota

noun

La·​ko·​ta lə-ˈkō-tə How to pronounce Lakota (audio)
plural Lakota also Lakotas
1
: a member of a western division of the Dakota peoples
2
: a dialect of Dakota

Examples of Lakota in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The town of Vail has agreed to settle a federal civil rights lawsuit brought last year by Hunkpapa Lakota artist Danielle SeeWalker, who was represented by the ACLU of Colorado and the law firm Newman McNulty. John Laconte, Denver Post, 25 Aug. 2025 The plot revolves around the attempts of various parties to get a hold of a Lakota ghost shirt that has come into the possession of a supercilious business tycoon and acquirer of rare artifacts, Pendleton Duvall (Toby Huss). Peter Tonguette, The Washington Examiner, 22 Aug. 2025 The company’s deft choreography of solos and ensemble passages allows the performers, each representing a different tribal tradition (Navajo, Cree, Pueblo, Seneca, and Lakota), to stand as both distinct and part of a harmonious whole. Shauna Lyon, New Yorker, 15 Aug. 2025 The directorial debut of Tony Tost, a poet who has more recently worked as the showrunner of the second season of Poker Face, Americana is about a group of people vying for possession of a Lakota ghost shirt stolen from a wealthy white collector, one worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. Alison Willmore, Vulture, 15 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for Lakota

Word History

Etymology

Lakota lakʰóta, a self-designation

First Known Use

1918, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of Lakota was in 1918

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Cite this Entry

“Lakota.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Lakota. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.

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