archipelago
noun
ar·chi·pel·a·go
ˌär-kə-ˈpe-lə-ˌgō 
ˌär-chə-
plural archipelagoes or archipelagos
1
: an expanse of water with many scattered islands
2
: a group of islands
3
: something resembling an archipelago
especially
: a group or scattering of similar things
an archipelago of small parks within the city
Did you know?
The Greeks called it the Aegean Pelagos and the Italians referred to it as Arcipelago (meaning "chief sea"), but English speakers now call it the Aegean Sea. Numerous islands dot its expanse, and 16th-century English speakers adopted a modified form of its Italian name for any sea with a similar scattering of islands. In time, archipelago came to refer to the groups of islands themselves, and now it is often used figuratively, as in, for example, "an archipelago of high-rise buildings."
Examples of archipelago in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The beguiling Tanzanian archipelago of Zanzibar is a natural add-on to any Ngorongoro Crater outing, and there are a handful of resorts worth keeping an eye on.
—
Sarah Khan, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Nov. 2024
The archipelago off the coast of Africa is seen by many as a step toward continental Europe with young men from Mali, Senegal, Mauritania and elsewhere embarking on dangerous sea voyages there seeking better job opportunities abroad or fleeing violence and political instability at home.
—Suman Naishadham, Los Angeles Times, 20 Nov. 2024
Last month, after a lengthy court battle, the United Kingdom handed the archipelago over to the African island nation of Mauritius, which said the islands had been stolen from it at independence.
—Lorraine Mallinder, The Christian Science Monitor, 20 Nov. 2024
The Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard, lying roughly midway between Norway’s northern coast and the North Pole, is the site of the world’s northernmost permanent settlements.
—Yahya Salem, CNN, 3 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for archipelago 
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.
Sarah Khan, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Nov. 2024
The archipelago off the coast of Africa is seen by many as a step toward continental Europe with young men from Mali, Senegal, Mauritania and elsewhere embarking on dangerous sea voyages there seeking better job opportunities abroad or fleeing violence and political instability at home.
—Suman Naishadham, Los Angeles Times, 20 Nov. 2024
Last month, after a lengthy court battle, the United Kingdom handed the archipelago over to the African island nation of Mauritius, which said the islands had been stolen from it at independence.
—Lorraine Mallinder, The Christian Science Monitor, 20 Nov. 2024
The Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard, lying roughly midway between Norway’s northern coast and the North Pole, is the site of the world’s northernmost permanent settlements.
—Yahya Salem, CNN, 3 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for archipelago
Dictionary Entries Near archipelago
Cite this Entry
“Archipelago.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/archipelago. Accessed 3 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
archipelago
noun
ar·chi·pel·a·go
ˌär-kə-ˈpel-ə-ˌgō
ˌär-chə-
plural archipelagoes or archipelagos
: a wide stretch of water with many scattered islands
also
: a group of islands
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share