tiki
Americannoun
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(initial capital letter) (in Polynesian mythology) the first man on earth.
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(in Polynesian cultures) a carved image, as of a god or ancestor, sometimes worn as a pendant around the neck.
noun
verb
Etymology
Origin of tiki
1875–80; < Maori and Marquesan
Explanation
A tiki is a large Polynesian carving of a human-like figure. It's very common to see tiki imagery in Hawaii, in locations ranging from sacred sites to tourist hotels. The word tiki means "image" in Eastern Polynesian, and these impressive stone or wooden carvings originally represented the first man in Māori mythology, Tiki. In New Zealand, Tahiti, and Hawaii, tiki are usually huge, towering statues, but small versions are sometimes worn as pendants. The visual style of tiki inspired 20th-century American tiki culture, which included South Pacific-themed bars and restaurants and was criticized for appropriating elements of indigenous Polynesian culture.
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.
"I called her my tiki torch," Lampert said.
From BBC ● Feb. 14, 2026
Stolen Saddle in Chicago—a three-story, 16,000-square-foot behemoth on a busy strip near Wrigley Field—was, until recently, a tiki bar.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 23, 2025
“Because everyone is using the word ‘martini’ to describe things that are basically like, I don’t know, tiki drinks.”
From Salon ● Nov. 30, 2025
This includes tariffs on simple consumer goods from China — tiki torches, vacuum cleaners, baby blankets, etc. — as well as supposed national security tariffs on metals from close allies in Europe and Asia.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 21, 2024
Viviana had built the deck herself, and erected a fully-stocked tiki bar, complete with carved masks, coconuts, and a thatched roof.
From "We Are the Ants" by Shaun David Hutchinson
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.
