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
Scattered around the archipelago are activities and adventures that come closer to reflecting the real Hawaii rather than many of the more popular and well-known attractions that always feature on top ten lists.
—
Joe Yogerst, Forbes.com, 28 May 2026
The fruit is native to the Banda Islands, a small archipelago in eastern Indonesia, according to Michael Krondl, a food historian.
—Ava Berger, NPR, 28 May 2026
Into the Big Blue Twenty miles off Panama’s Pacific coast, the volcanic archipelago of Islas Secas spans 14 islands, 13 of them entirely undeveloped, in one of the most biodiverse stretches of ocean on the planet.
—Ritu Upadhyay, Footwear News, 23 May 2026
During the broadcast, the future King discussed efforts to support housing, healthcare and sustainability projects across the Isles of Scilly, a remote archipelago off the southwestern coast of England that forms part of the Duchy estate.
—Paloma Chavez, PEOPLE, 22 May 2026
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Joe Yogerst, Forbes.com, 28 May 2026
The fruit is native to the Banda Islands, a small archipelago in eastern Indonesia, according to Michael Krondl, a food historian.
—Ava Berger, NPR, 28 May 2026
Into the Big Blue Twenty miles off Panama’s Pacific coast, the volcanic archipelago of Islas Secas spans 14 islands, 13 of them entirely undeveloped, in one of the most biodiverse stretches of ocean on the planet.
—Ritu Upadhyay, Footwear News, 23 May 2026
During the broadcast, the future King discussed efforts to support housing, healthcare and sustainability projects across the Isles of Scilly, a remote archipelago off the southwestern coast of England that forms part of the Duchy estate.
—Paloma Chavez, PEOPLE, 22 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for archipelago
Cite this Entry
“Archipelago.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/archipelago. Accessed 3 Jun. 2026.
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
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