Shoshone

noun

Sho·​shone shə-ˈshōn How to pronounce Shoshone (audio) shə-ˈshō-nē How to pronounce Shoshone (audio)
ˈshō-ˌshōn
variants or Shoshoni
shə-ˈshō-nē How to pronounce Shoshone (audio)
1
plural Shoshones or Shoshoni also Shoshone or Shoshonis : a member of a group of Indigenous peoples originally ranging through California, Idaho, Nevada, Utah, and Wyoming
2
: the Uto-Aztecan language of the Shoshones

Word History

Etymology

origin unknown

First Known Use

1805, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of Shoshone was in 1805

Rhymes for Shoshone

See All Rhymes for Shoshone

Browse Nearby Words

Shoshoko
Shoshone
Shoshonean
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

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

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

Shoshone

noun
Sho·​shone shə-ˈshōn(-ē) How to pronounce Shoshone (audio)
ˈshō-ˌshōn
variants or Shoshoni
shə-ˈshō-nē How to pronounce Shoshone (audio)
plural Shoshones or Shoshoni also Shoshone or Shoshonis
: a member of a group of Indigenous peoples of California, Idaho, Nevada, Utah, and Wyoming

Geographical Definition

Shoshone

geographical name

Sho·​sho·​ne shə-ˈshō-nē How to pronounce Shoshone (audio)
shə-ˈshōn
river 120 miles (193 kilometers) long in northwestern Wyoming flowing northeast into the Bighorn River

More from Merriam-Webster on Shoshone

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about Shoshone

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All