Definition of native
2 : belonging to a particular place by birth a native New Yorker
3 archaic : closely related
4 : belonging to or associated with one by birth hailed in his native Sweden as an influential dramatist — William Peden
6a : grown, produced, or originating in a particular place or in the vicinity : local native fruits and vegetablesb : living or growing naturally in a particular region : indigenous native wildlife of Australia
7 : simple, unaffected our feeling still native and entire, unsophisticated by pedantry — Edmund Burke
8a : constituting the original substance or source the way I must return to native dust — John Miltonb : found in nature especially in an unadulterated form mining native silver
natively
adverbnativeness
nounRead the Latest from M-W
Examples of native in a Sentence
people who are native to France
She has a native ability to learn quickly.
The island is home to several native species of trees.
Recent Examples of native from the Web
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In his native Indiana he was seen by some as a rung climber.
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Polls show that New Zealanders strongly support protecting native species.
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My native city had decided that Lenin superseded Peter the Apostle in world-historical import, so St. Petersburg became Leningrad.
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But according to a 2015 study, the U.S. has 41 million native Spanish speakers and is home to the second largest Spanish-speaking population in the world.
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Ten years ago, Jocelyn Angloma—a defender capped 37 times by France who played for Paris Saint-Germain, Olympique Marseille, Inter Milan and Valencia—assisted his native Guadeloupe on its stirring run to the Gold Cup’s final four.
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Is the native Brazilian trying to get attention, or what?
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After two years back home in his native Brazil, Julião’s second spell in Kansas City offered little playing time.
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Hosted by New Yorker Amy Choi and native Angeleno Rebecca Lehrer, the semimonthly bicoastal show explores the complexities and joys of coexisting cultures.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'native.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of native
Middle English natif, from Middle French, from Latin nativus, from natus, past participle of nasci to be born — more at nation
Synonym Discussion of native
native
Definition of native
1 : one born or reared in a particular place
2a : an original or indigenous inhabitantb : something indigenous to a particular locality
3 : a local resident; especially : a person who has always lived in a place as distinguished from a visitor or a temporary resident
Examples of native in a Sentence
She's a native of France who moved to the United States when she was 15.
He wishes he could speak Spanish like a native.
The plant is a native of Central and South America.
Recent Examples of native from the Web
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Still, for digital natives who have rarely hailed an old-school taxi or stayed in a traditional hotel, let alone met a guy at a bar, surrendering on-demand convenience remains unthinkable.
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Her four children graduated from Poway High and now live across the U.S. The fourth-generation Redwood City, California native — who has lived in the Poway/RB area since 2002 — said her career was inspired by her father, who was a Realtor.
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The Louisville native has seen a sudden rise in the last few years.
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VIENNA (AP) — With his rich Tyrolean accent, Mehmet Altin appears to be a native of the alpine Austrian province.
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Five biggest story lines heading into Road America: Streaks will end soon The winless streaks of longtime friends and Brazilian natives Helio Castroneves and Tony Kanaan have grown to a combined 93 races (52 for Castroneves and 41 for Kanaan).
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Sessions, an Alabama native who represented the state in the U.S. Senate, also received his law degree from the university.
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Verve Coffee Roasters While the Santa Cruz native has several L.A. locations, none measures up to the Spring Street flagship.
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Rosenstein, a Pennsylvania native, attended the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania — the same school Donald Trump graduated from in 1968.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'native.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of native
NATIVE Defined for English Language Learners
native
playDefinition of native for English Language Learners
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: born in a particular place
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—used to refer to the place where a person was born and raised
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: belonging to a person since birth or childhood
native
Definition of native for English Language Learners
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: a person who was born or raised in a particular place
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: a person from a group of people who were living in an area (such as South America or Africa) when Europeans first arrived
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: a kind of plant or animal that originally grew or lived in a particular place
NATIVE Defined for Kids
Definition of native for Students
1 : born in a certain place or country He's a native Belgian.
2 : belonging to a person because of place of birth His parents speak their native language at home.
3 : living or growing naturally in a certain region native plants
4 : grown, produced, or coming from a certain place native tomatoes native art
5 : natural 3 He's a swimmer with native ability.
Word Root of native
The Latin word nāscī, meaning “to be born,” and its form nātus give us the roots nat and nai. Words from the Latin nāscī have something to do with being born. When someone is native to a particular place, she or he was born there. A nation, or country, is a place where people are born. Anyone naive has a lack of knowledge and experience as if he or she was only recently born.
Definition of native for Students
1 : a person who was born in or comes from a particular place
2 : a kind of plant or animal that originally grew or lived in a particular place
Medical Dictionary
native
playMedical Definition of native
1: belonging to or associated with one by birth
2: living or growing naturally in a particular region
3a: constituting the original substance or sourceb: found in nature especially in an unadulterated form conversion of a native protein to a denatured protein
natively
adverbLearn More about native
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See words that rhyme with native Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for native Spanish Central: Translation of native Nglish: Translation of native for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of native for Arabic speakers
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