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
Leo wrapped up his weeklong trip to Spain in the Canary Islands, a Spanish archipelago closer to Africa than the Iberian Peninsula and a key point of entry for migrants who make the perilous Atlantic crossing from West Africa.
—
ABC News, 12 June 2026
Leo is spending the final two days of his weeklong trip to Spain in the Canary Islands, a Spanish archipelago closer to Africa than the Iberian Peninsula and a key point of entry for migrants who make the perilous Atlantic crossing from West Africa.
—Nicole Winfield, Los Angeles Times, 11 June 2026
This Portuguese archipelago is almost a thousand miles from the African coast, and even further from my final destination.
—E.r. Pulgar, SPIN, 10 June 2026
The animal dimension of RedSkyFalls comes partly through the Namazu story of a giant catfish swimming under the Japanese archipelago.
—Pablo Larios, Artforum, 10 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for archipelago
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ABC News, 12 June 2026
Leo is spending the final two days of his weeklong trip to Spain in the Canary Islands, a Spanish archipelago closer to Africa than the Iberian Peninsula and a key point of entry for migrants who make the perilous Atlantic crossing from West Africa.
—Nicole Winfield, Los Angeles Times, 11 June 2026
This Portuguese archipelago is almost a thousand miles from the African coast, and even further from my final destination.
—E.r. Pulgar, SPIN, 10 June 2026
The animal dimension of RedSkyFalls comes partly through the Namazu story of a giant catfish swimming under the Japanese archipelago.
—Pablo Larios, Artforum, 10 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for archipelago
Cite this Entry
“Archipelago.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/archipelago. Accessed 18 Jun. 2026.
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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