Navajo

noun

Na·​va·​jo ˈna-və-ˌhō How to pronounce Navajo (audio) ˈnä- How to pronounce Navajo (audio)
variants or less commonly Navaho
1
plural Navajo or Navajos also Navaho or Navahos : a member of an Indigenous people of northern New Mexico and Arizona and southern Utah
2
: the language of the Navajo people

Examples of Navajo in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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His most famous series of books detail a veteran and newbie pair of Navajo Tribal Police officers named Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee, played in this series by Zahn McClarnon and Kiowa Gordon, respectively. Brian Tallerico, Vulture, 18 Mar. 2025 Non-human infections were also found in Navajo County. Jeremy Duda, Axios, 18 Mar. 2025 Lowe, a Navajo Nation member, was the first Native American to lead the NEH, a federal agency that was founded in 1965 and is focused on funding the humanities. Filip Timotija, The Hill, 13 Mar. 2025 New episodes are currently airing Sunday nights at 9 p.m. Set in 1971 on a remote outpost of the Navajo Nation near Monument Valley, Dark Winds follows Lt. Joe Leaphorn of the Tribal Police (Zahn McClarnon) as he is besieged by a series of seemingly unrelated crimes. Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 12 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for Navajo

Word History

Etymology

Spanish (Apache de) Navajó, literally, Apache of Navajó, from Navajó, area occupied by Navajos, probably from Tewa (Pueblo Indian language of northern New Mexico) navahu·, literally, arroyo with planted fields

First Known Use

1808, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of Navajo was in 1808

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Navajo.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Navajo. Accessed 25 Mar. 2025.

Kids Definition

Navajo

noun
Na·​va·​jo
variants also Navaho
plural Navajo or Navajos also Navaho or Navahos
: a member of an Indigenous people of northern New Mexico and Arizona

More from Merriam-Webster on Navajo

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