pot·latch
ˈpät-ˌlach 
plural potlatches
1
: a ceremonial feast observed by Indigenous peoples of the northern Pacific coast and marked especially by the host's lavish distribution of gifts or sometimes destruction of property to demonstrate wealth and generosity
2
Northwestern US
: a social event or celebration
potlatched; potlatching; potlatches
1
: to give (something, such as a gift) especially with the expectation of a gift in return
2
: to hold or give a potlatch for (a tribe, a group, etc.)
: to hold or give a potlatch
Examples of potlatch in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Cornelia C. Walther, Forbes.com, 25 Aug. 2025
In the Pacific Northwest, for instance, researchers have inferred which years featured particularly generous potlatches based on how many trees were harvested at that time.
—Amelia Soth, JSTOR Daily, 27 Feb. 2025
For example, in potlatch ceremonies among Indigenous communities of the Pacific Northwest, individuals showcase their riches by engaging in the ritualized destruction of expensive objects.
—Brian Klaas, The Atlantic, 7 Feb. 2025
The weaving can take on many applications but is often used in making garments, often worn by chiefs at potlatch ceremonies.
—Chris Bieri, Anchorage Daily News, 15 Sep. 2023
Decimated by illness, they were stripped of their traditional lands and saw their culture criminalized through the potlatch ban, a policy in effect from 1884 to 1951.
—Diane Selkirk, Smithsonian Magazine, 22 Dec. 2022
One of the earliest pieces to enter the collection, in 1883, the canoe was embellished for exhibition in 1910 with figures representing Tlingits on their way to a potlatch ceremony.
—New York Times, 5 May 2022
Native Americans from the Northwest Pacific Coast held potlatch feasts at which property and goods were lavished upon neighboring tribes, mainly for the purpose of showing off wealth.
—Patricia Marx, The New Yorker, 21 Feb. 2022
On the Northwest Coast of North America, Haida people learned from their Bella Bella captives about ceremonial gatherings called potlatches that were organized to build or repair a house.
—Catherine M. Cameron, Scientific American, 1 Dec. 2017
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Noun
Consider the potlatch ceremonies of Pacific Northwest tribes, where status derives not from accumulating wealth but from giving it away.
—Cornelia C. Walther, Forbes.com, 25 Aug. 2025
In the Pacific Northwest, for instance, researchers have inferred which years featured particularly generous potlatches based on how many trees were harvested at that time.
—Amelia Soth, JSTOR Daily, 27 Feb. 2025
For example, in potlatch ceremonies among Indigenous communities of the Pacific Northwest, individuals showcase their riches by engaging in the ritualized destruction of expensive objects.
—Brian Klaas, The Atlantic, 7 Feb. 2025
The weaving can take on many applications but is often used in making garments, often worn by chiefs at potlatch ceremonies.
—Chris Bieri, Anchorage Daily News, 15 Sep. 2023
Decimated by illness, they were stripped of their traditional lands and saw their culture criminalized through the potlatch ban, a policy in effect from 1884 to 1951.
—Diane Selkirk, Smithsonian Magazine, 22 Dec. 2022
One of the earliest pieces to enter the collection, in 1883, the canoe was embellished for exhibition in 1910 with figures representing Tlingits on their way to a potlatch ceremony.
—New York Times, 5 May 2022
Native Americans from the Northwest Pacific Coast held potlatch feasts at which property and goods were lavished upon neighboring tribes, mainly for the purpose of showing off wealth.
—Patricia Marx, The New Yorker, 21 Feb. 2022
On the Northwest Coast of North America, Haida people learned from their Bella Bella captives about ceremonial gatherings called potlatches that were organized to build or repair a house.
—Catherine M. Cameron, Scientific American, 1 Dec. 2017
Cite this Entry
“Potlatch.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/potlatch. Accessed 7 Nov. 2025.
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