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.

Lipo said that nothing else currently explains how the moai were moved.

From Science Daily • Oct. 8, 2025

With just 18 people, the team was able to transport the moai 100 meters in just 40 minutes, a marked improvement over previous vertical transport attempts.

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

The museum has two moai statues which were taken from the Chilean territory of Rapa Nui, or Easter Island, in 1868.

From BBC • Feb. 18, 2024

There are 386 moai in and around Rano Raraku.

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