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 archipelago off East Africa is made up of 115 different islands—including one that’s home to what’s perhaps the most photogenic beach in the world.
—
Lydia Mansel, Travel + Leisure, 5 Feb. 2026
Their convictions come more than two years after another judge issued a mixed verdict involving other members of Misick’s Progressive National Party government who were accused of similar charges in the archipelago, located about 600 miles south of Florida.
—Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 5 Feb. 2026
The archipelago covers over 20 square miles of the Persian Gulf.
—Lucia Cheng, Des Moines Register, 5 Feb. 2026
Polar bears that live along the Barents Sea near Svalbard -- the archipelago between Norway and the North Pole -- appear to be thriving, despite the region experiencing some of the most drastic sea ice loss in the Arctic, according to a study published Thursday in Scientific Reports.
—Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 29 Jan. 2026
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.
Lydia Mansel, Travel + Leisure, 5 Feb. 2026
Their convictions come more than two years after another judge issued a mixed verdict involving other members of Misick’s Progressive National Party government who were accused of similar charges in the archipelago, located about 600 miles south of Florida.
—Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 5 Feb. 2026
The archipelago covers over 20 square miles of the Persian Gulf.
—Lucia Cheng, Des Moines Register, 5 Feb. 2026
Polar bears that live along the Barents Sea near Svalbard -- the archipelago between Norway and the North Pole -- appear to be thriving, despite the region experiencing some of the most drastic sea ice loss in the Arctic, according to a study published Thursday in Scientific Reports.
—Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 29 Jan. 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 10 Feb. 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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
