shaman
Americannoun
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shamans
plural
noun
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a priest of shamanism
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a medicine man of a similar religion, esp among certain tribes of North American Indians
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of shaman
First recorded in 1690–1700; from German Schamane, from Russian shamán, probably from Evenki šamān, samān or another Tungusic language, perhaps ultimately via an intermediary such as Tocharian B from Sanskrit śramaṇá- “ascetic, monk”
Explanation
A shaman is a tribal healer who can act as a medium between the visible world and the spirit world. Shamans are kind of a mix between priests and doctors. Like a priest, a shaman is a holy man who represents a religion — in this case, shamanism. Like a doctor, a shaman heals people — or at least claims to do so. If you're not into shamanism, you can use this term more generally: A really good teacher, especially one who works a little mysteriously, might be said to work "like a shaman".
Vocabulary lists containing shaman
Born a Crime
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The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
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World Religions
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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:
"May all that is bad dissolve into the river and never return," the shaman chanted.
From Barron's ● Mar. 10, 2026
Once, they brought in a shaman to cleanse the house with sage and cedar during a full blood moon.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 18, 2026
Spear dies a hero at the second season’s close, only for a shaman to reanimate him in the third season premiere as a zombie.
From Salon ● Feb. 1, 2026
It gives Crystal one of his rare openings for a laugh line, “Say hi to your shaman, wish him a happy 1969 for me.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 24, 2024
As the wind, I watch myself journey to Cuzco with the Villac Uma to study the ways of the shaman.
From "The Ugly One" by Leanne Statland Ellis
He points to the ayahuasqueros, or shamans of the Amazon Basin, as an example of how humans have engaged in radically different methodologies of discovery for generations.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 24, 2026
Peruvian shamans predict global conflict, a White House shakeup in 2026.
From MarketWatch ● Dec. 30, 2025
The shamans, like the one seen in “Squid Game,” usually are mediators to the spirit world using divination or other rituals.
From Salon ● Jun. 29, 2025
Greek photographer Athanasios Maloukos's portfolio of shamans performing rituals on Siberia's frozen Lake Baikal was the judges' choice in the People and Cultures category.
From BBC ● Jan. 21, 2024
Presumably shamans recounted their stories to attentive crowds; almost certainly, they explained when and where the gods wanted to build mounds.
From "1491" by Charles C. Mann
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.
