Maori
noun
a member of the Native Polynesian population of New Zealand.
Maori
American
[mah-aw-ree, -oh-ree, mou-ree, mah-ree]
/ ˈmɑ ɔ ri, -oʊ ri, ˈmaʊ ri, ˈmɑ ri /
noun
-
Maoris,
plural
-
Maori
plural
-
a member of the Native Polynesian population of New Zealand.
-
a Polynesian language, the language of the Maoris.
adjective
Māori
British
/ ˈmaʊrɪ /
noun
-
a member of the people living in New Zealand and the Cook Islands since before the arrival of European settlers. They are descended from Polynesian voyagers who migrated in successive waves from the ninth century onwards
-
the language of this people, belonging to the Malayo-Polynesian family
adjective
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
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.
See Examples For:
It was introduced in response to a lawsuit filed by Indigenous Maori climate activist Michael Smith against six prominent New Zealand companies for their contribution to environmental harm linked to climate change.
From Barron's ● Aug. 19, 2026
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon feted his guest with an indigenous Maori welcome and guard of honour, seeking to expand relations after signing a free-trade pact in April that he has touted as an economic boon.
From Barron's ● Jul. 11, 2026
When a psychologically damaged mute boy named Simon breaks into her tower, she is pulled into his life as well as that of his Maori foster father, Joe.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 2026
At a news conference in Auckland announcing his appointment, Rennie's opening words in Maori were "Kia orana koutou", which translate as "hello to all" or "hello everyone".
From BBC ● Mar. 4, 2026
Billy and the Maori dug into the inert, unpromising gravel of the moon.
From "Slaughterhouse-Five" by Kurt Vonnegut
But Hāngī is arguably the most famous Māori cooking technique.
From Salon ● Jul. 26, 2026
New Zealand’s Māori people often say that food is a feeling, a memory.
From Salon ● Jul. 26, 2026
But as Te Haumihiata Mason, a translator working in Māori, points out to Mr. Hahn, in New Zealand few plants bud in May, so an inelastic approach here risks puzzling the audience.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 22, 2026
The extinct volcano is a sacred Māori site and one of the most popular campgrounds in New Zealand, with a local holiday website describing it as a "slice of paradise".
From BBC ● Jan. 22, 2026
New Zealand artist Lisa Reihana, who is of Māori British ancestry, transformed a famous early 19th century French scenic wallpaper designed by Jean-Gabriel Charvet into an equally extravagant, 70-foot-wide projection of video animation.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2025
At the start of each game, the players do a version of the “haka,” an indigenous dance of the Maoris.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 7, 2018
Many Maoris claim to join as much for whanau, or family, as for money, power or thrills.
From Economist ● Feb. 8, 2018
The multivenue show includes art from Japan, the Pacific islands, Maoris and local artists — as well as a few requisite stars, like Yayoi Kusama.
From New York Times ● Sep. 16, 2016
Once the domain of sailors and Maoris and now a staple for younger Americans of all ethnicities and professions, tattoos are trickling up to the older set.
From Washington Post ● Sep. 21, 2013
In the early 1800s, European traders, missionaries, and whalers began to visit New Zealand, which had been occupied 600 years previously by Polynesian farmers and fishermen known as Maoris.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
