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totem

[toh-tuhm] / ˈtoʊ təm /
NOUN
pole
Synonyms


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

If they made it to New York or London, they would start over as an analyst, at the bottom of the totem pole.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 5, 2026

"It is a totem of celebration for Chinese people and people around the world," he said.

From Barron's • Feb. 13, 2026

It’s an indelibly amusing and heartbreaking totem, suggesting play and suffering, and eventually manifesting wounds both real and internalized.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 6, 2026

The Stockport-born player emerged so quickly and came into a team struggling so often, he was almost a totem.

From BBC • Aug. 29, 2025

The huge links were only partly cut out, so it looked rather like one of the totem poles in the museum, scallops going down four sides.

From "Miracles on Maple Hill" by Virginia Sorensen




Vocabulary lists containing totem


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