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 tiny Kensington restaurant is a rare regional destination for the food of the archipelagos, a responsibility its owner does not take lightly.
—
Elazar Sontag, Washington Post, 19 Mar. 2026
On Sunday, the ship was drifting about 20 nautical miles off the Sicilian island of Linosa, part of the archipelago that includes Lampedusa.
—Barbie Latza Nadeau, CNN Money, 16 Mar. 2026
Then, as dawn approached, the unfamiliar bird calls (the archipelago is home to more than 150 species) would carry me back to land.
—The Week Uk, TheWeek, 15 Mar. 2026
Channel Islands Charter and Sail Channel Islands offer half-day, day, and multiday trips throughout the archipelago.
—Betsy Andrews, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for archipelago
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Elazar Sontag, Washington Post, 19 Mar. 2026
On Sunday, the ship was drifting about 20 nautical miles off the Sicilian island of Linosa, part of the archipelago that includes Lampedusa.
—Barbie Latza Nadeau, CNN Money, 16 Mar. 2026
Then, as dawn approached, the unfamiliar bird calls (the archipelago is home to more than 150 species) would carry me back to land.
—The Week Uk, TheWeek, 15 Mar. 2026
Channel Islands Charter and Sail Channel Islands offer half-day, day, and multiday trips throughout the archipelago.
—Betsy Andrews, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 Mar. 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 22 Mar. 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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