Cherokee

noun

Cher·​o·​kee ˈcher-ə-(ˌ)kē 

ˈche-rə-

1

plural Cherokee or Cherokees : a member of a nation of once-nomadic Indigenous peoples located originally in the Appalachian Mountains of Tennessee and North Carolina

2

: the Iroquoian language of the Cherokee people

Examples of Cherokee in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The arrest occurred shortly after the man crossed the Otay Mesa Port of Entry in a Jeep Grand Cherokee on Tuesday, according to the criminal complaint filed against him. —Caleb Lunetta, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 May 2025

Trent Saunders is also a standout as Andy Payne, the Cherokee runner who won the first cross-country road race event in 1928 — with Elmer’s corpse a traveling side attraction. —Frank Rizzo, Variety, 27 Apr. 2025

Andy Payne, a member of the Cherokee nation, won the race and a $25,000 prize, as recounted in a poignant ballad sung by Trent Saunders, the actor playing Payne. —Greg Evans, Deadline, 27 Apr. 2025

On July 5, 2018, Detective Daniel Hayes of the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office, north of Atlanta, responded to a most unusual call. —Susan Mallie, CBS News, 26 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

probably ultimately from Creek calá·kki

First Known Use

1721, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing Cherokee

• Cherokee rose

Rhymes for Cherokee

• agree
• allee
• banshee
• beastly
• bibi
• bowsprit
• carefree
• cerci
• chablis
• cowpea
• crappie
• crappy

Kids Definition

Cherokee

noun

Cher·​o·​kee ˈcher-ə-ˌkē 

: a member of an Indigenous people originally from Tennessee and North Carolina

also : their language