hamlet

1 of 2

noun (1)

ham·​let ˈham-lət How to pronounce hamlet (audio)
Synonyms of hamletnext
: a small village

Hamlet

2 of 2

noun (2)

Ham·​let ˈham-lət How to pronounce Hamlet (audio)
: a legendary Danish prince and hero of Shakespeare's play Hamlet

Synonyms

Noun (1)

See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of hamlet in a Sentence

Noun (1) she always longed to return to the quiet hamlet where she had been born
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Noun
The fish belonged to a family called hamlets, a group that has proven difficult to study. — Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 4 Apr. 2025 Studio executives and agents have been frustrated by the high cost of sending people to Park City, while some locals have grown disenchanted with the influx of fans and press into their tiny hamlet. — Matt Donnelly, Variety, 27 Mar. 2025 The 4,740 square-foot home, with a private lake and tennis and basketball courts, is located in the Rockland County hamlet of New City, located about 35 miles north of New York City. — R. Daniel Foster, Forbes.com, 27 Mar. 2025 On Tuesday, gangs perched themselves in a community called Clemenceau about 17 minutes from another rural hamlet, Belot, in the mountains of Kenscoff above the capital. — Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 26 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for hamlet

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English, from Anglo-French hamelet, diminutive of ham village, of Germanic origin; akin to Old English hām village, home

First Known Use

Noun (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

1601, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of hamlet was before the 12th century

Browse Nearby Words

ham it up
hamlet
Hamlet
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Cite this Entry

“Hamlet.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hamlet. Accessed 17 Apr. 2025.

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Kids Definition

hamlet

noun
ham·​let ˈham-lət How to pronounce hamlet (audio)
: a small village

More from Merriam-Webster on hamlet

Nglish: Translation of hamlet for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about hamlet

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