Illustration of totem pole
- totem pole 1
totem pole
noun
1
: a pole or pillar carved and painted with a series of totemic symbols representing family lineage and often mythical or historical incidents and erected by Indian tribes of the northwest coast of North America
2
: an order of rank : hierarchy
Examples of totem pole in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Stephen covers his wife’s body with his own, their faces stacked on the screen like a totem pole.
—
Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 18 Oct. 2024
Today, Angoon remains a quaint village of about 420 people, with colorful old homes and totem poles clustered on the west side of Admiralty Island, accessible by ferry or float plane, in the Tongass National Forest, the nation's largest.
—CBS News, 26 Oct. 2024
Mass discounters such as Walmart and Target have also focused on rolling back prices on many items, a move that could attract back shoppers who had traded further down on the retail totem pole.
—Vicki M. Young, Sourcing Journal, 3 Sep. 2019
Master artist Nathan Jackson had put down his chisel and was taking a break from carving a totem pole to chat with me and my husband.
—Fran Golden, Travel + Leisure, 22 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for totem pole 
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Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 18 Oct. 2024
Today, Angoon remains a quaint village of about 420 people, with colorful old homes and totem poles clustered on the west side of Admiralty Island, accessible by ferry or float plane, in the Tongass National Forest, the nation's largest.
—CBS News, 26 Oct. 2024
Mass discounters such as Walmart and Target have also focused on rolling back prices on many items, a move that could attract back shoppers who had traded further down on the retail totem pole.
—Vicki M. Young, Sourcing Journal, 3 Sep. 2019
Master artist Nathan Jackson had put down his chisel and was taking a break from carving a totem pole to chat with me and my husband.
—Fran Golden, Travel + Leisure, 22 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for totem pole
Dictionary Entries Near totem pole
Cite this Entry
“Totem pole.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/totem%20pole. Accessed 13 Dec. 2024.
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