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
Island hopping in the Philippines The Calamian archipelago in Palawan, Philippines.
—
Nicole Kliest, Vogue, 12 Feb. 2025
This new Lagoon is also designed to port-hop up the coast or do long-distance cruising in remote archipelagos.
—Michael Verdon, Robb Report, 11 Feb. 2025
The mission took place near Skye, an island in the Hebrides, a Scottish archipelago, according to a Jan. 31 Facebook post from the non-profit organization British Divers Marine Life Rescue.
—Brendan Rascius, Miami Herald, 4 Feb. 2025
The Russian ships sailed through the Tsushima Strait during the southward transit, which separates the Korean Peninsula to the west and the Japanese archipelago to the east.
—Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Newsweek, 4 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for archipelago
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Nicole Kliest, Vogue, 12 Feb. 2025
This new Lagoon is also designed to port-hop up the coast or do long-distance cruising in remote archipelagos.
—Michael Verdon, Robb Report, 11 Feb. 2025
The mission took place near Skye, an island in the Hebrides, a Scottish archipelago, according to a Jan. 31 Facebook post from the non-profit organization British Divers Marine Life Rescue.
—Brendan Rascius, Miami Herald, 4 Feb. 2025
The Russian ships sailed through the Tsushima Strait during the southward transit, which separates the Korean Peninsula to the west and the Japanese archipelago to the east.
—Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Newsweek, 4 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for archipelago
Cite this Entry
“Archipelago.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/archipelago. Accessed 28 Feb. 2025.
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
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