moai

British

/ ˈməʊaɪ /

noun

any of the gigantic carved stone figures found on Easter Island (Rapa Nui)

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of moai

from Rapanui (the Polynesian language of Easter Island), literally: statue, figurine

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.

This background has prompted researchers to explore whether the carving of moai followed the same decentralized structure.

From Science Daily • Nov. 30, 2025

For years, researchers have puzzled over how the ancient people of Rapa Nui did the seemingly impossible and moved their iconic moai statues.

From Science Daily • Oct. 8, 2025

The online campaign began after an influencer encouraged his followers to "spam" the museum's Instagram posts with "return the moai" comments.

From BBC • Feb. 18, 2024

Mr Milfort regularly speaks about the moai in his viral videos.

From BBC • Feb. 18, 2024

The moai are carved stone statues with extremely large heads.

From NewsForKids.net • Oct. 13, 2022

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023