as in symbols
a device, design, or figure used as an identifying mark
the bald eagle, that universally recognized totem of our country
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of totems
Why Ketchikan matters Long before Ketchikan became a bustling fishing town and cruise port, the sheltered waterways of Southeast Alaska were home to Indigenous communities whose histories were carved into towering cedar totems.
—
Josh Rivera, USA Today, 13 May 2026
Haring’s totems clearly express this idea.
—Glenn Adamson, Artforum, 2 May 2026
In his work exist iconic signs of beloved local establishments — like the Playpen — the blinding glint reflecting off downtown’s skyline, telephone poles regarded as totems.
—Julissa James, Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2026
Her materials include those most basic elements of the earth—geology—and her forms borrow from totems, obelisks, prehistoric megaliths, and Indigenous Caribbean zeniths.
—Emily Watlington, ARTnews.com, 7 Apr. 2026
The vishaps’ consistent ties to water sources, their polished surfaces and their precise placement in harsh alpine zones point to a widespread belief system in which water itself was sacred and required such totems of appreciation.
—New Atlas, 11 Dec. 2025
Among the totems, knickknacks, and ephemera in Will Shortz’s home-cum-museum, and one of his favorite items, is a copy of the 1924 book inscribed by Dick Simon and Max Schuster, sent to its source of inspiration.
—Literary Hub, 25 Nov. 2025
But for a city break with all the totems of winter, Boston more than delivers.
—Mark Ellwood, AFAR Media, 7 Nov. 2025
The Chinese take-out eatery included a dining area themed to look like a Tiki lounge with bamboo, oars, totems and puffer fish lamps.
—Brady MacDonald, Oc Register, 10 Oct. 2025
Josh Rivera, USA Today, 13 May 2026
Haring’s totems clearly express this idea.
—Glenn Adamson, Artforum, 2 May 2026
In his work exist iconic signs of beloved local establishments — like the Playpen — the blinding glint reflecting off downtown’s skyline, telephone poles regarded as totems.
—Julissa James, Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2026
Her materials include those most basic elements of the earth—geology—and her forms borrow from totems, obelisks, prehistoric megaliths, and Indigenous Caribbean zeniths.
—Emily Watlington, ARTnews.com, 7 Apr. 2026
The vishaps’ consistent ties to water sources, their polished surfaces and their precise placement in harsh alpine zones point to a widespread belief system in which water itself was sacred and required such totems of appreciation.
—New Atlas, 11 Dec. 2025
Among the totems, knickknacks, and ephemera in Will Shortz’s home-cum-museum, and one of his favorite items, is a copy of the 1924 book inscribed by Dick Simon and Max Schuster, sent to its source of inspiration.
—Literary Hub, 25 Nov. 2025
But for a city break with all the totems of winter, Boston more than delivers.
—Mark Ellwood, AFAR Media, 7 Nov. 2025
The Chinese take-out eatery included a dining area themed to look like a Tiki lounge with bamboo, oars, totems and puffer fish lamps.
—Brady MacDonald, Oc Register, 10 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for totems
Noun
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Police are investigating after the Jewish Community Center of Greater Ann Arbor in Ann Arbor, Michigan, was vandalized with antisemitic symbols, officials said on Saturday morning.—
Nick Lentz,
CBS News,
6 June 2026
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Over the past year, two biographers have attempted to flesh out the men behind the symbols.—
Rob Wolfe,
The Atlantic,
5 June 2026
Noun
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Kara Jakubik, a 17-year-old Life Scout with Scouting America and an Ambassador with Girl Scouts, spent the morning with other volunteers walking through rows of headstones searching for symbols, such as military branch emblems.—
Abigail Dollins,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
23 May 2026
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Others have opted to place banners in the stands or sponsor emblems on seatbacks.—
Jacob Feldman,
Sportico.com,
8 May 2026
Noun
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The courts have already affirmed that sounds can function as trademarks.—
Daryl Lim,
Fortune,
30 May 2026
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While technology will be the centerpiece, the facility — tentatively named the Connecticut Center for Applied AI — won’t have enormous banks of computer servers or the high-capacity energy and cooling systems that are trademarks of data centers.—
Don Stacom,
Hartford Courant,
28 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Totems.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/totems. Accessed 7 Jun. 2026.
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