archipelago
noun
ar·chi·pel·a·go
ˌär-kə-ˈpe-lə-ˌgō 
ˌär-chə-
plural archipelagoes or archipelagos
1
: an expanse of water with many scattered islands
2
: a group of islands
3
: something resembling an archipelago
especially
: a group or scattering of similar things
an archipelago of small parks within the city
Did you know?
The Greeks called it the Aegean Pelagos and the Italians referred to it as Arcipelago (meaning "chief sea"), but English speakers now call it the Aegean Sea. Numerous islands dot its expanse, and 16th-century English speakers adopted a modified form of its Italian name for any sea with a similar scattering of islands. In time, archipelago came to refer to the groups of islands themselves, and now it is often used figuratively, as in, for example, "an archipelago of high-rise buildings."
Examples of archipelago in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
That frontier epic, set at the turn of the 20th century, followed three horsemen who set out across the Tierra del Fuego archipelago tasked with securing a wealthy landowner’s vast property.
—
Diana Lodderhose, Deadline, 1 Apr. 2025
Serving as a monument to the rigorous lives of the Canary Islands’ many farmers, the venue provides guests with an opportunity to try their hand at all manner of traditional crafts found across the archipelago.
—Jared Ranahan, Forbes.com, 31 Mar. 2025
But even on this remote and mostly undeveloped archipelago, human activity is affecting animals.
—Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 24 Mar. 2025
The event will finish just before sunset in far northeastern regions, including the Arctic archipelago of Severnaya Zemlya in Russia.
5.
—Jamie Carter, Forbes, 23 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for archipelago
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.
Diana Lodderhose, Deadline, 1 Apr. 2025
Serving as a monument to the rigorous lives of the Canary Islands’ many farmers, the venue provides guests with an opportunity to try their hand at all manner of traditional crafts found across the archipelago.
—Jared Ranahan, Forbes.com, 31 Mar. 2025
But even on this remote and mostly undeveloped archipelago, human activity is affecting animals.
—Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 24 Mar. 2025
The event will finish just before sunset in far northeastern regions, including the Arctic archipelago of Severnaya Zemlya in Russia.
5.
—Jamie Carter, Forbes, 23 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for archipelago
Cite this Entry
“Archipelago.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/archipelago. Accessed 7 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
archipelago
noun
ar·chi·pel·a·go
ˌär-kə-ˈpel-ə-ˌgō
ˌär-chə-
plural archipelagoes or archipelagos
: a wide stretch of water with many scattered islands
also
: a group of islands
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share