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
Japan already enjoys the defensive benefit of being an archipelago country separated from its adversaries by the sea.
—
Moritz S. Graefrath, Foreign Affairs, 19 Nov. 2025
Flavors like macambo and plantain leaf were completely new to me—and a reminder that there’s far more to Ecuador than this famed archipelago.
—Betsy Andrews, Travel + Leisure, 17 Nov. 2025
After witnessing a murder, Kristin uncovers encrypted codes and musical clues that lead the group across Iceland, Finland, and Germany, culminating in a confrontation set in Helsinki’s wartime bunkers and the Finnish archipelago.
—Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 12 Nov. 2025
Subduction—the process where one plate moves beneath another—plays a major role in generating large earthquakes around the Japanese archipelago.
—Hollie Silverman, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for archipelago
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Moritz S. Graefrath, Foreign Affairs, 19 Nov. 2025
Flavors like macambo and plantain leaf were completely new to me—and a reminder that there’s far more to Ecuador than this famed archipelago.
—Betsy Andrews, Travel + Leisure, 17 Nov. 2025
After witnessing a murder, Kristin uncovers encrypted codes and musical clues that lead the group across Iceland, Finland, and Germany, culminating in a confrontation set in Helsinki’s wartime bunkers and the Finnish archipelago.
—Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 12 Nov. 2025
Subduction—the process where one plate moves beneath another—plays a major role in generating large earthquakes around the Japanese archipelago.
—Hollie Silverman, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Nov. 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 24 Nov. 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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