natives

plural of native
1
as in residents
a usually longtime resident of a locality the natives seem to resent the summer tourists even though they depend upon them for their livelihood

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2
as in aborigines
a member of the first people to inhabit a region the anthropologist spent two years living among the island's natives and observing and documenting their customs and traditions

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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of natives Sterman, after much contemplation, decided to use natives but didn’t develop a detailed plan. Nicole Sours Larson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 June 2026 With Mexico opening the tournament against South Africa, fans and natives said that short of being at the match, Fan Festival was the next best spot to see the tournament. Dan Snyder, CBS News, 11 June 2026 Not all the plants in the unamended soil are California natives or even drought-tolerant. Lisa Boone, Los Angeles Times, 10 June 2026 The event not only drew Czech natives, but also people like Maria Wyatt, who lives a couple of minutes away from the stadium. Lawrence Dow, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 6 June 2026 One school of thought holds that high levels of immigration and a robust social safety net are incompatible; natives don’t want to share their nation’s generosity with foreigners. Rogé Karma, The Atlantic, 1 June 2026 Though Rob said a Yankees-Sacramento matchup would be somewhat bittersweet, there’s no doubt who the Orangevale natives would root for. Sean Campbell, Sacbee.com, 30 May 2026 The furniture project was run by Contra Costa natives, all of whom are serving life sentences inside San Quentin for serious crimes, and has inspired similar work by men from Alameda County, the group’s organizers say. Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 27 May 2026 The defendants, both natives of Azerbaijan, were convicted and sentenced to 25 years. ABC News, 27 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for natives
Noun
  • Fees will be waived until Sunday, June 21 to encourage residents to adopt adult dogs ages six months and older and to make room for incoming strays.
    Emma Hall, Sacbee.com, 18 June 2026
  • However, a growing number of residents have been regularly showing up to city council meetings advocating for a moratorium on data center development, pointing to issues with noise pollution, water use, and electricity costs.
    Harrison Mantas, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 18 June 2026
Noun
  • The unidentified American woman was stuck on Pitcairn, an island with only about 50 inhabitants, no airport and infrequent maritime options to depart.
    Matthew Lee, Los Angeles Times, 11 June 2026
  • By 1830 a quarter of Ohio’s 1 million inhabitants clustered in the state’s southwestern corner.
    Matthew Smith, The Conversation, 8 June 2026
Noun
  • While some bars and coffee shops are seeing record days, others say locals are avoiding the area entirely.
    The Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 17 June 2026
  • As the mitigation work continued, a contractor took off his socks and shoes and rolled up his pants to his knees and proceeded to wade into the pool to place an ozone nanobubble tube as tourists and locals milled about on a sunny morning.
    Katie Vogel, Los Angeles Times, 17 June 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Natives.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/natives. Accessed 19 Jun. 2026.

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