wigwam

noun

wig·​wam ˈwig-ˌwäm How to pronounce wigwam (audio)
: a hut of the American Indians of the Great Lakes region and eastward having typically an arched framework of poles overlaid with bark, mats, or hides
also : a rough hut

Illustration of wigwam

Illustration of wigwam

Examples of wigwam in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Other kinds of algorithms underlie the repeating sequences of bent wood arcs that make up Native American wigwams, canoes and cradles. Audrey G. Bennett, The Conversation, 10 Aug. 2023 President Franklin Delano Roosevelt receives a miniature wigwam at a Boy Scout camp in New York State in 1933. NBC news, 19 Apr. 2023 The monastery is a former motel with a lobby in the shape of a wigwam, where Bran’s mother meditates and vacuums and rapidly dies of ovarian cancer, which means Bran never gets to ask whether the call of the nunnery was worth abandoning a daughter. New York Times, 17 May 2022 Uncommon accommodations: Snooze in a caboose, a yacht, a wigwam or a swanky tent. AZCentral.com, 4 June 2021 Snooze in a caboose, a yacht, a wigwam or a swanky tent. Roger Naylor, The Arizona Republic, 12 May 2021 The Nowashe Village will include a main village, two wigwams, an archaeology laboratory, a wetland with a boardwalk, a fire circle which will be used for storytelling, and the Three Sisters Garden. Quoron Walker, courant.com, 11 Oct. 2019 The museum was built in 1930 and is meant to mimic the colonial architecture — thatched roof cottages, wigwams, and more – of the 1600s. Kayla Keegan, Good Housekeeping, 24 June 2019 As the paper in the fireplace ignites, place the thin broken branches, one by one, against the burning wigwam. Ross McCammon, Popular Mechanics, 30 Nov. 2018

Word History

Etymology

Eastern Abenaki wìkəwαm house

First Known Use

1628, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of wigwam was in 1628

Dictionary Entries Near wigwam

Cite this Entry

“Wigwam.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wigwam. Accessed 8 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

wigwam

noun
wig·​wam ˈwig-ˌwäm How to pronounce wigwam (audio)
: a hut used by the Indigenous peoples of the Great Lakes region and eastward usually having an arched frame of poles covered with bark, rush mats, or hides

More from Merriam-Webster on wigwam

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!