Pawnee

noun

Paw·​nee pȯ-ˈnē How to pronounce Pawnee (audio)
pä-
plural Pawnee or Pawnees
: a member of an Indigenous people living in east-central Nebraska during the first half of the 19th century

Note: Current members of the Pawnee live as part of the federally recognized Pawnee Nation of Oklahoma.

Examples of Pawnee in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) offices targeted for lease termination include the Pawnee Agency, which serves around 7,200 members of four tribes in Oklahoma. Chris Arnold, NPR, 8 Mar. 2025 Offerman played Ron Swanson, the gruff, libertarian-leaning head of the Pawnee, Ind., parks and recreation department. Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 3 Mar. 2025 On a whiteboard at the Pawnee County Cooperative Association, Kim Barnes tracks the price of commodities. Shimon Prokupecz, CNN, 27 Feb. 2025 Rob Lowe as Chris Traeger Rob Lowe portrayed Chris Traeger, an auditor from the state who comes in to help the city of Pawnee with its crippling budget issues. Keith Langston, People.com, 24 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for Pawnee

Word History

Etymology

of Siouan origin; akin to Osage ppáį Pawnee, Omaha ppáðį

First Known Use

1698, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of Pawnee was in 1698

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Pawnee.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Pawnee. Accessed 14 Mar. 2025.

Kids Definition

Pawnee

noun
Paw·​nee pȯ-ˈnē How to pronounce Pawnee (audio)
pä-
: a member of an Indigenous people originally of Nebraska and Kansas

More from Merriam-Webster on Pawnee

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