shamans

noun

plural of shaman
as in witches
someone who is believed in some cultures to be able to use magic to cure people who are sick, to control future events, etc. went to the shaman for a remedy

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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of shamans Ochre figures of hunters, eland, and dancing shamans come into focus. — Sarah Kingdom, Forbes.com, 17 July 2026 Along the way, travelers will meet local shamans, experience traditional llanero (cowboy) culture, and be led by a Mayan spiritual guide and archaeologist. — Laura Dannen Redman, Robb Report, 18 June 2026 The shamans gathered by the sea on Herradura Beach in the Chorrillos district in Lima, Peru's capital, holding up posters of the two candidates. — ABC News, 1 June 2026 That being said, shamans are currently experiencing a moment in Korean pop culture that recontextualizes mu-dang as hip. — Kayti Burt, Time, 24 Apr. 2026 The only people believed capable of negotiating with the possessing winds, of restoring balance, are shamans of African descent. — Adam Pourahmadi, CNN Money, 22 Apr. 2026 The retreats are usually led by facilitators, shamans or therapists. — Ashley J. Dimella, FOXNews.com, 24 Mar. 2026 Researchers believe the structures served as elite burial sites for leaders, priests, or shamans, challenging earlier assumptions that Funnelbeaker societies were strictly egalitarian. — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 31 Dec. 2025 By 1901, just seventeen years after contact with the outside world, shamans were cutting their hair, getting baptized, and taking Danish Christian names. — Ben Taub, New Yorker, 24 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shamans
  1. witches
  2. magicians
  3. wizards
  4. sorcerers
  5. mages
  6. hags
Noun
  • Images of shape-shifting witches and cursed doors blur the lines between reality and the twins’ childlike imagination.
    — Jude Noel, Pitchfork, 22 July 2026
  • Along the way, Odysseus crosses paths with gods like Zeus, Athena, and Poseidon, as well as monsters, witches, sirens, and other mythical beings, all of whom shape his long, winding journey from Troy to Ithaca.
    — Brianna Zigler, Entertainment Weekly, 20 July 2026
Definition of witches
Noun
  • The celebrated musicians, the eclectic writers, the artist troupes, the lumberjacks, the magicians.
    — Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 28 July 2026
  • Live music, magicians, a mini parade, and more than 400 vendors transform the avenue into a giant block party.
    — Barbara Noe Kennedy, Travel + Leisure, 28 July 2026
Definition of magicians
Noun
  • Food and drink Chefs Loice Acom and Gad Hafashimana are wizards in the Kibale Lodge kitchen.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 27 July 2026
  • Balloons float above an exploding castle, a giant peeks from behind the bushes and wizards throw flames in the foreground.
    — Phillip Molnar, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 July 2026
Definition of wizards
Noun
  • But that apprehension is directed toward monsters, goddesses, sorcerers, and nymphs.
    — Natasha O'Neill, Vanity Fair, 16 July 2026
  • Indeed, the sequel to the fan-favorite 1998 film, in which Bullock and Kidman play sister sorcerers, will hit theaters this September.
    — Joyce Chen, Architectural Digest, 2 May 2026
Definition of sorcerers
Noun
  • This young adult fantasy follows a 16-year-old who discovers a magical attack and realizes this new world of demons and mages has a connection to her mother’s death.
    — Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 2 July 2026
  • Wizards, or mages (as the group has commonly referred to Eleven), develop their powers using arcane magic to cast powerful spells.
    — Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 26 Nov. 2025
Definition of mages
Noun
  • The island village is beset by sea hags, serial killers, creepy clowns and other evils that interfere with Tom’s dream of turning Widow’s Bay into a Martha’s Vineyard-like tourist destination.
    — Alison Herman, Variety, 17 June 2026
  • Martha’s Vineyard also has knife-wielding men in masks and creepy sea hags!
    — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 11 June 2026
Definition of hags

Browse Nearby Words

shamanists
shamans
shamble
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Cite this Entry

“Shamans.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shamans. Accessed 3 Aug. 2026.

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