totem

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.

His sculptures, composed of stacked forms and glazed in natural colors, bring to mind chimneys, duct work and totem poles.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 27, 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 absentee totem, the one with the power to make all the major calls he pleases without having the responsibility of justifying them in any public forum.

From BBC • Oct. 27, 2025

She could not find, between herself and the African statuette, or totem pole, on which he gazed with such melancholy wonder, any point of contact.

From "Go Tell It on the Mountain" by James Baldwin