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
  • Terrifying witches who bewitch unsuspecting travelers with cursed meat.
    — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 17 July 2026
  • Fortunately, Bagley’s cast doesn’t hold back in this slight but fun effort that features witches, zombies and other underground dwellers.
    — Randy Myers, Mercury News, 9 July 2026
Definition of witches
Noun
  • The performances, featuring everything from card tricks and mentalism to sword swallowing, will showcase a rotating cast of magicians who may be early in their careers but have big aspirations.
    — Lizzie Hyman, PEOPLE, 13 July 2026
  • The restaurant’s cliff divers, magicians, puppeteers and roving performers have been bargaining with management for more than a year, after officially voting to unionize in November 2024.
    — Tiney Ricciardi, Denver Post, 9 July 2026
Definition of magicians
Noun
  • Their quest pits them against wizards, monsters, dragons, and a sinister conspiracy in a lighthearted fantasy adventure inspired by the tabletop RPG.
    — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 11 July 2026
  • After climbing the Azkaban Escape Tower to the top, repel-style, young wizards-in-training, Clark and Emily Friscia, were ready to go home.
    — Greg Harutunian, Chicago Tribune, 29 June 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 20 Jul. 2026.

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