American Indian

noun

plural American Indians

: a member of any of the Indigenous peoples of the western hemisphere except often certain peoples (such as the Yupik and Inuit) who live in arctic regions

especially : an American Indian of North America and especially the U.S. compare native american

American Indian adjective

Examples of American Indian in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

For some survivors, the trauma led them to advocate for change, something Peltier did through his active involvement in the American Indian Movement (AIM). —James Ramos, Orange County Register, 22 Jan. 2025

Also killed in the shootout was American Indian Movement member Joseph Stuntz. —Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 21 Jan. 2025

Peltier is one of the surviving members of the American Indian Movement of the 1960s and ’70s, and his 50-year imprisonment spurred a new generation of activists. —Chris O'Falt, IndieWire, 21 Jan. 2025

In the 1970s, Peltier was a leader of the American Indian Movement, which took over the village of Wounded Knee on the Pine Ridge reservation, the Associated Press reported. —Betsy Klein, CNN, 20 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1650, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

American Indian

noun

: a member of any of the Indigenous peoples of the western hemisphere except often certain peoples (as the Yupik and Inuit) who live in arctic regions

especially : an American Indian of North America and especially the U.S.

American Indian adjective