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
Drive past jaw-dropping sights, like Native Alaskan totem poles, snowcapped mountains, and thunderous waterfalls.
—
Janice Wald Henderson, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 Mar. 2024
Again, that odd summer departure from the Charlotte program spoke to the 49ers’ low spot on the college basketball totem pole.
—Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 3 Feb. 2024
Survivor: Marquesas An underrated season that saw the first totem pole shake-up: where people on the bottom got together to overthrow those on the top.
—Dalton Ross, EW.com, 22 Dec. 2023
The totem pole was carved in the mid-1800s by Snow’s great-grandfather Snuxyaltwa Louie Snow, whose spirit remains in the totem pole and will not be at rest until it is returned to its ancestral home, the chief said.
—Alaa Elassar, CNN, 19 Feb. 2023
Nice was once the bottom of the totem pole at Bel Air.
—Sam Cohn, Baltimore Sun, 26 Jan. 2024
As generalized creatures low on the totem pole, eutherians were primed for disaster.
—Cody Cottier, Discover Magazine, 12 Jan. 2024
Bottom-up experimentation, on the other hand, focuses on leading with the preferences and needs of the workers at the bottom of the totem pole.
—Jane Thier, Fortune, 20 Nov. 2023
Not to mention, more than 80 standing totem poles are scattered around Ketchikan, and the number continues to grow.
—Laura Kiniry, Smithsonian Magazine, 6 June 2023
Janice Wald Henderson, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 Mar. 2024
Again, that odd summer departure from the Charlotte program spoke to the 49ers’ low spot on the college basketball totem pole.
—Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 3 Feb. 2024
Survivor: Marquesas An underrated season that saw the first totem pole shake-up: where people on the bottom got together to overthrow those on the top.
—Dalton Ross, EW.com, 22 Dec. 2023
The totem pole was carved in the mid-1800s by Snow’s great-grandfather Snuxyaltwa Louie Snow, whose spirit remains in the totem pole and will not be at rest until it is returned to its ancestral home, the chief said.
—Alaa Elassar, CNN, 19 Feb. 2023
Nice was once the bottom of the totem pole at Bel Air.
—Sam Cohn, Baltimore Sun, 26 Jan. 2024
As generalized creatures low on the totem pole, eutherians were primed for disaster.
—Cody Cottier, Discover Magazine, 12 Jan. 2024
Bottom-up experimentation, on the other hand, focuses on leading with the preferences and needs of the workers at the bottom of the totem pole.
—Jane Thier, Fortune, 20 Nov. 2023
Not to mention, more than 80 standing totem poles are scattered around Ketchikan, and the number continues to grow.
—Laura Kiniry, Smithsonian Magazine, 6 June 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'totem pole.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near totem pole
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“Totem pole.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/totem%20pole. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
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