Amish

American  

[ah-mish, am-ish] / ˈɑ mɪʃ, ˈæm ɪʃ /

adjective

1. of or relating to any of the strict Mennonite groups, chiefly in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, and Canada, descended from the followers of Jakob Ammann, a Swiss Mennonite bishop of the 17th century.

---

noun

1. the Amish people.

Amish British  

/ ˈɑːmɪʃ, ˈæ- /

adjective

1. of or relating to a US and Canadian Mennonite sect that traces its origin to Jakob Amman

---

noun

1. the Amish people

Amish Cultural  

1. A group of Protestants who broke away from the Mennonites in the seventeenth century. The Amish live in close communities, farm for a living, and do without many modern conveniences, such as telephones, automobiles, and tractor-drawn plows.

---

Discover More

Some of the Pennsylvania Dutch are Amish.

Etymology

Origin of Amish

1835–45, < German amisch, after Jakob Ammann; see -ish ¹

Compare meaning

How does amish compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• Amish vs. Mennonite

Example Sentences

Yoder, the court premised its decision to allow Amish parents to remove older children from school on expert testimony showing that the decision caused no harm “to the physical or mental health of the child.”

From Slate • Mar. 12, 2026

The schools, joined by Amish parents, filed suit, alleging a violation of their First Amendment right to free exercise of religion.

From Slate • Dec. 9, 2025

Amish travelers have been using this route for decades, one of the men told me, on their way to and from doctors in Tijuana.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 9, 2025

It is a pastoral place where drivers watch for Amish buggies at dusk and a Union soldier monument anchors the town square.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 17, 2025

I dropped down on my knees to see what kind of shoes the Amish girls were wearing.

From "Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key" by Jack Gantos