totem pole

noun

plural totem poles

1

: a pole or pillar carved and painted with a series of totemic symbols representing family lineage and often mythical or historical incidents and erected by Indigenous peoples of the northwest coast of North America

2

: an order of rank : hierarchy

the people at the bottom/top of the totem pole

As low man on the totem pole [=the least important or least powerful person] I had to clean out the grease trap …

—David Brooks

Illustration of totem pole

• totem pole 1

Examples of totem pole in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In his separate testimony, Dupree described himself as being low on the totem pole in the LAPD task force that was working with the federal agencies, including the FBI, ATF and DEA. — Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 20 Aug. 2026

Wander through Stanley Park and visit the collection of totem poles at Brockton Point. — Maryam Siddiqi, Travel + Leisure, 14 Aug. 2026

Young workers just starting their careers are staring up a long climb to the top of the corporate totem pole. — Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 3 Aug. 2026

But the artist has put considerable effort arranging these CDs into geometrically dizzying totem poles. — John Metcalfe, Mercury News, 9 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1880, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for totem pole

• amphibole
• asystole
• buttonhole
• casserole
• centriole
• decontrol
• glycerol
• metropole
• monopole
• multipole
• omeprazole
• oriole

Kids Definition

totem pole

noun

: a pole carved and painted with symbols of totems and set up by Indigenous people of the northwest coast of North America