Samoa

American  

[suh-moh-uh] / səˈmoʊ ə /

noun

1. a group of islands in the southern Pacific, the islands west of 170° W longitude constituting an independent state and the rest belonging to the U.S.

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Samoa British  

/ səˈməʊə /

noun

1. an independent state occupying four inhabited islands and five uninhabited islands in the S Pacific archipelago of the Samoa Islands: established as a League of Nations mandate under New Zealand administration in 1920 and a UN trusteeship in 1946; gained independence as Western Samoa in 1962 as the first fully independent Polynesian state; officially changed its name to Samoa in 1997; a member of the Commonwealth. Languages: Samoan and English. Religion: Christian. Currency: tala. Capital: Apia. Pop: 195 476 (2013 est). Area: 2841 sq km (1097 sq miles)

2. Also called: Samoa Islands.  a group of islands in the S Pacific, northeast of Fiji: an independent kingdom until the mid 19th century, when it was divided administratively into American Samoa (in the east) and German Samoa (in the west); the latter was mandated to New Zealand in 1919 and gained full independence in 1962 as Western Samoa, now called Samoa (as detailed in sense 1). Area: 3038 sq km (1173 sq miles)

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Samoa Cultural  

1. A group of volcanic (see volcano) islands in the south Pacific Ocean, approximately midway between Hawaii and Sydney, Australia, making up the independent kingdom of Western Samoa and the United States territory of American Samoa.

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Discover More

Samoa's tropical climate, mountainous scenery, coral reefs, and Polynesian culture make it a popular tourist destination.

Compare meaning

How does samoa compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• Samoa vs. American Samoa

Example Sentences

Mauigoa grew up in American Samoa and the 20-year-old paid homage to his homeland with a collage on the back of his suit jacket.

From BBC • Apr. 23, 2026

They circled the moon without landing and then splashed down in the Pacific Ocean near Samoa.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 13, 2026

The biggest immediate impact is likely to fall on the approximately 300 residents of Samoa, a town that sits on the tiny spit of land that protects the bay.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 9, 2026

During Kennedy’s Senate confirmation hearings in 2025, he said the closely scrutinized trip to Samoa had “nothing to do with vaccines.”

From Salon • Apr. 8, 2026

That is true, for instance, of the Societies, Samoa, the Marquesas, and especially Hawaii, the Polynesian archipelago with the highest mountains.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond