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
The Russian aircraft then turned northeast and flew off the western coast of the Japanese archipelago, transiting close to the northeast Asian country's airspace, Tokyo claimed.
—
Ryan Chan, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Aug. 2025
Other than Puerto Rico, neither of us had never been to the Eastern Caribbean archipelago.
—Marlise Kast-Myers, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Aug. 2025
Founding an archipelago of peace centers that stretch from southern Africa to France to Mexico, Whitaker aims to generate waves of young peacemakers that change societies and ultimately world civilization.
—Kevin Holden Platt, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2025
Remnants of these ancient ice ages rest on the mountainous slopes of Svalbard, a Norwegian archipelago located roughly 1,000 kilometers from the North Pole.
—Laura Poppick
july 22, Literary Hub, 22 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for archipelago
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Ryan Chan, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Aug. 2025
Other than Puerto Rico, neither of us had never been to the Eastern Caribbean archipelago.
—Marlise Kast-Myers, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Aug. 2025
Founding an archipelago of peace centers that stretch from southern Africa to France to Mexico, Whitaker aims to generate waves of young peacemakers that change societies and ultimately world civilization.
—Kevin Holden Platt, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2025
Remnants of these ancient ice ages rest on the mountainous slopes of Svalbard, a Norwegian archipelago located roughly 1,000 kilometers from the North Pole.
—Laura Poppick
july 22, Literary Hub, 22 July 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 1 Sep. 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
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