Inupiat

noun

Inu·​pi·​at i-ˈnü-pē-ˌät How to pronounce Inupiat (audio)
-ˈnyü-
variants or Inupiaq
i-ˈnü-pē-ˌäk How to pronounce Inupiat (audio)
-ˈnyü-
1
plural Inupiat or Inupiaq or Inupiats or Inupiaqs : a member of an Inuit people of northern Alaska
2
: the language of the Inupiat people

Examples of Inupiat in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Interestingly, in the language of the Inupiat tribe of Alaska’s north slope, there’s no messing around with spring. — Tom Hawking, Popular Science, 30 Apr. 2025 This Inupiat town at 66 degrees north is on the Baldwin Peninsula in Kotzebue Sound, 26 miles above the Arctic Circle. — Jamie Carter, Forbes.com, 30 Mar. 2025 All paid for by oil taken from the Inupiat homeland on the North Slope, thank you very much for all the oil. — Barry Scott Zellen, Hartford Courant, 18 Feb. 2025 Ambler Metals has a partnership with the Northwest Arctic Native Association (NANA), a company that represents Inupiat Alaska Natives. — John Towfighi, CNN, 3 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for Inupiat

Word History

Etymology

Inupiat inʸupiaq, plural inʸupiat, literally, real person

First Known Use

1967, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of Inupiat was in 1967

Rhymes for Inupiat

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Browse Nearby Words

in unison
Inupiat
Inupik
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Cite this Entry

“Inupiat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Inupiat. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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Kids Definition

Inupiat

noun
Inu·​pi·​at in-ˈü-pē-ˌät How to pronounce Inupiat (audio)
in-ˈyü-
1
plural Inupiat or Inupiats : a member of the Eskimo people of northern Alaska
2
: the language of the Inupiat people
Last Updated: - Definition revised
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