1
: beads of polished shells strung in strands, belts, or sashes and used by North American Indigenous people as money, ceremonial pledges, and ornaments
2
dated, informal + sometimes offensive
: money
Examples of wampum in a Sentence
made some real wampum on that last business deal
Recent Examples on the Web
Today, Mohegan Tribal Elder, Beth Regan presented Alissa Pili gifts from the Mohegan Tribe including a wampum necklace to honor her journey into the @WNBA as and Indigenous woman.
—
Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 20 May 2024
Entering the New-York Historical Society from Central Park West, all visitors come upon a section of wampum belt and the kind of statement that in the last several years has become standard fare at cultural institutions.
—Marc Tracy, New York Times, 16 Mar. 2024
Similar stories played out with other forms of money, such as wampum beads.
—Dave Birnbaum, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024
Elizabeth James-Perry and Erin Genia: Wampanoag and Dakota Adornment
James-Perry, honored this year with a National Heritage Fellowship by the National Endowment for the Arts, makes wampum jewelry, textiles, and maritime art directly tied to her Aquinnah Wampanoag tribal heritage.
—Lauren Daley, BostonGlobe.com, 25 July 2023
See All Example Sentences for wampum
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Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 20 May 2024
Entering the New-York Historical Society from Central Park West, all visitors come upon a section of wampum belt and the kind of statement that in the last several years has become standard fare at cultural institutions.
—Marc Tracy, New York Times, 16 Mar. 2024
Similar stories played out with other forms of money, such as wampum beads.
—Dave Birnbaum, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024
Elizabeth James-Perry and Erin Genia: Wampanoag and Dakota Adornment
James-Perry, honored this year with a National Heritage Fellowship by the National Endowment for the Arts, makes wampum jewelry, textiles, and maritime art directly tied to her Aquinnah Wampanoag tribal heritage.
—Lauren Daley, BostonGlobe.com, 25 July 2023
See All Example Sentences for wampum
Cite this Entry
“Wampum.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wampum. Accessed 6 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
wampum
noun
wam·pum
ˈwäm-pəm 
1
: beads of polished shells formerly used by North American Indigenous peoples as money and ornaments
2
informal
: money sense 1
—used especially in the past
Etymology
from wamponpeag, a word in a North American Indigenous language literally meaning "white strings"
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