Pashto
noun
Pash·to
ˈpəsh-(ˌ)tō 
variants
or less commonly Pushtu
: the Iranian language of the Pashtuns
Examples of Pashto in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The Headstrong Project As a former cryptologic linguist with the U.S. Air Force attached to the intelligence community, Tahlia Burton dos Santos translated Pashto in real time to identify and subvert threats to military service men and women in Afghanistan.
—
Robin Roenker, USA Today, 21 May 2025
The Fredericksburg area now has halal markets, Afghan restaurants and school outreach programs for families who speak Dari and Pashto.
—Tiffany Stanley, Los Angeles Times, 19 May 2025
The surveys, which began in 2010, were conducted in Dari and Pashto in all 34 provinces.
—Karlyn Bowman, Forbes, 3 Mar. 2025
Seeking to rally support and recruit from a range of Muslim diaspora communities in Europe and the U.S., the group has churned out a high volume of videos and articles in more than a dozen languages, including Dari and Pashto, the two primary languages spoken in Afghanistan.
—Dan De Luce, NBC News, 20 Oct. 2024
Analysts say the Tajik minority in Afghanistan is also less represented by the Pashto Taliban government, adding to the anger at discrimination felt by Tajiks across the former Soviet Union.
—Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, 25 July 2024
The claim here is not that Pashto, Arabic, Russian, or other languages may yield more dangerous results than in English.
—Hamza Chaudhry, TIME, 24 July 2024
Not speaking Pashto — an Eastern Iranian language spoken primarily in Pakistan and Afghanistan — meant being able to keep a critical distance from his subjects.
—Christian Blauvelt, IndieWire, 23 July 2024
Reinterpretations are in the Kannada, Zulu, Mandarin, Armenian, Pashto, Urdu and Hindi languages, among others.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 5 Aug. 2023
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.
Robin Roenker, USA Today, 21 May 2025
The Fredericksburg area now has halal markets, Afghan restaurants and school outreach programs for families who speak Dari and Pashto.
—Tiffany Stanley, Los Angeles Times, 19 May 2025
The surveys, which began in 2010, were conducted in Dari and Pashto in all 34 provinces.
—Karlyn Bowman, Forbes, 3 Mar. 2025
Seeking to rally support and recruit from a range of Muslim diaspora communities in Europe and the U.S., the group has churned out a high volume of videos and articles in more than a dozen languages, including Dari and Pashto, the two primary languages spoken in Afghanistan.
—Dan De Luce, NBC News, 20 Oct. 2024
Analysts say the Tajik minority in Afghanistan is also less represented by the Pashto Taliban government, adding to the anger at discrimination felt by Tajiks across the former Soviet Union.
—Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, 25 July 2024
The claim here is not that Pashto, Arabic, Russian, or other languages may yield more dangerous results than in English.
—Hamza Chaudhry, TIME, 24 July 2024
Not speaking Pashto — an Eastern Iranian language spoken primarily in Pakistan and Afghanistan — meant being able to keep a critical distance from his subjects.
—Christian Blauvelt, IndieWire, 23 July 2024
Reinterpretations are in the Kannada, Zulu, Mandarin, Armenian, Pashto, Urdu and Hindi languages, among others.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 5 Aug. 2023
Cite this Entry
“Pashto.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Pashto. Accessed 4 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share