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
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web Kake makes claim to having the world’s largest totem pole carved from a single tree – a Sitka spruce. 
Dan Fellner, The Arizona Republic, 26 Aug. 2022 Unfortunately for the Yankees, both Chapman and Loaisiga have fallen down the bullpen totem pole thanks to injury and poor performance. Matthew Roberson, Hartford Courant, 18 July 2022 Instead of catering to the respective series’ spots on the American motorsports totem pole, why not shake things up? Nathan Brown, The Indianapolis Star, 3 Aug. 2022 Those higher up the totem pole may become fractious to stop colleagues from advancing up the ranks. Satyen Sangani, Forbes, 3 Aug. 2022 Caught in the middle are songwriters, who are counterintuitively at the bottom of the totem pole in the streaming economy. Jem Aswad, Variety, 28 July 2022 Caught in the middle of all this is the songwriter — the primary creator of the music that is at the center of this battle — who counterintuitively has ended up lowest on the totem pole in the streaming economy. Jem Aswad, Variety, 27 June 2022 Out front stands a totem pole carved all the way around with figures from all three Southeast Alaska Indigenous groups, the only one of its kind in Alaska. Zachariah Hughes, Anchorage Daily News, 11 June 2022 The mall featured contemporary sculptures and a 22-foot-tall wood-and-steel totem pole that became a community meeting spot, like the fountain in the title of Ms. Lange’s book. Alex Beam, WSJ, 10 June 2022 See More
Dan Fellner, The Arizona Republic, 26 Aug. 2022 Unfortunately for the Yankees, both Chapman and Loaisiga have fallen down the bullpen totem pole thanks to injury and poor performance. Matthew Roberson, Hartford Courant, 18 July 2022 Instead of catering to the respective series’ spots on the American motorsports totem pole, why not shake things up? Nathan Brown, The Indianapolis Star, 3 Aug. 2022 Those higher up the totem pole may become fractious to stop colleagues from advancing up the ranks. Satyen Sangani, Forbes, 3 Aug. 2022 Caught in the middle are songwriters, who are counterintuitively at the bottom of the totem pole in the streaming economy. Jem Aswad, Variety, 28 July 2022 Caught in the middle of all this is the songwriter — the primary creator of the music that is at the center of this battle — who counterintuitively has ended up lowest on the totem pole in the streaming economy. Jem Aswad, Variety, 27 June 2022 Out front stands a totem pole carved all the way around with figures from all three Southeast Alaska Indigenous groups, the only one of its kind in Alaska. Zachariah Hughes, Anchorage Daily News, 11 June 2022 The mall featured contemporary sculptures and a 22-foot-tall wood-and-steel totem pole that became a community meeting spot, like the fountain in the title of Ms. Lange’s book. Alex Beam, WSJ, 10 June 2022 See More Word History
First Known Use
1880, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Kids Definition
totem pole
noun
: a usually wooden pole or pillar carved and painted with totems and set up by tribes of indigenous people of the northwest coast of North America