1
: a North American Indian chief
especially
: the chief of a confederation of the Algonquian tribes of the North Atlantic coast
2
: a Tammany leader
Examples of sachem in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Or Opeka, a Shawnee sachem who shrewdly negotiated with the governor of Pennsylvania in 1710 to spare the lives of his people accused of killing colonists?
—
Jennifer Schuessler, New York Times, 20 Sep. 2022
Larry Fisher, chief sachem of the Mattakeeset Massachuset tribe leads a traditional song honoring the tribal land and ancestry at Titicut Indian Reservation in Bridgewater, Mass, Nov. 27, 2020.
—WSJ, 17 June 2022
Few people bother to visit the statue of Ousamequin — the chief, or sachem, of the Wampanoag Nation whose people once numbered somewhere between 30,000 to 100,000 and whose land once stretched from Southeastern Massachusetts to parts of Rhode Island.
—Dana Hedgpeth, Anchorage Daily News, 25 Nov. 2021
Some scholars counter that Mason’s statue should remain — with the addition of statues of Indigenous leaders, such as the Mohegan sachem Uncas and the Pequot Sachem Sassacus.
—Rick Green, courant.com, 17 Nov. 2021
The Pokanoket tribe and their sachem Massasoit shared in three days of feasting and entertainment with English colonists in the autumn of 1621, helping to inspire the holiday of gathering and giving thanks, according to the museum.
—From Usa Today Network and Wire Reports, USA TODAY, 15 July 2021
Staten Island’s last unbought parcel was sold, in 1670, by a Raritan sachem named Pierwim.
—Joshua Jelly-Schapiro, The New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2021
For instance, most history lessons of the early days in Massachusetts Bay Colony end with the diplomatic alliance of Massasoit, a sachem, or leader, of the Wampanoags, offering food to the starving Pilgrims in exchange for protection against the powerful Narragansett Tribe in 1621.
—Kendra Nordin Beato, The Christian Science Monitor, 20 Nov. 2020
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Jennifer Schuessler, New York Times, 20 Sep. 2022
Larry Fisher, chief sachem of the Mattakeeset Massachuset tribe leads a traditional song honoring the tribal land and ancestry at Titicut Indian Reservation in Bridgewater, Mass, Nov. 27, 2020.
—WSJ, 17 June 2022
Few people bother to visit the statue of Ousamequin — the chief, or sachem, of the Wampanoag Nation whose people once numbered somewhere between 30,000 to 100,000 and whose land once stretched from Southeastern Massachusetts to parts of Rhode Island.
—Dana Hedgpeth, Anchorage Daily News, 25 Nov. 2021
Some scholars counter that Mason’s statue should remain — with the addition of statues of Indigenous leaders, such as the Mohegan sachem Uncas and the Pequot Sachem Sassacus.
—Rick Green, courant.com, 17 Nov. 2021
The Pokanoket tribe and their sachem Massasoit shared in three days of feasting and entertainment with English colonists in the autumn of 1621, helping to inspire the holiday of gathering and giving thanks, according to the museum.
—From Usa Today Network and Wire Reports, USA TODAY, 15 July 2021
Staten Island’s last unbought parcel was sold, in 1670, by a Raritan sachem named Pierwim.
—Joshua Jelly-Schapiro, The New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2021
For instance, most history lessons of the early days in Massachusetts Bay Colony end with the diplomatic alliance of Massasoit, a sachem, or leader, of the Wampanoags, offering food to the starving Pilgrims in exchange for protection against the powerful Narragansett Tribe in 1621.
—Kendra Nordin Beato, The Christian Science Monitor, 20 Nov. 2020
Cite this Entry
“Sachem.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sachem. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
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sachem
noun
sa·chem
ˈsā-chəm 
: the chief of a North American Indigenous tribe
especially
: the chief of a confederation of the Algonquin tribes of the North Atlantic coast
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