medicine man

noun

plural medicine men
Synonyms of medicine mannext
: a healer especially among Indigenous American groups who uses various traditional methods (such as magical rituals, magical objects, and medicinal plants) to treat illnesses and keep away evil spirits : shaman

Examples of medicine man in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Camila’s kidnapping will tie into the true story of Geronimo, the famed Apache warrior and medicine man. — Carolina A. Miranda, The Atlantic, 5 Mar. 2026 Lee-Gatewood said among those lost to the virus was a respected medicine man, whose deep knowledge of traditional ceremonies was invaluable. — Arlyssa D. Becenti, AZCentral.com, 8 Apr. 2025 But prosecutors told a different story, saying the man who was seen by some as a spiritual healer and medicine man used his position to prey on his victims. — Muri Assuncao, Mercury News, 22 Jan. 2026 Chasing Horse used his status as an actor and medicine man to prey on victims, similarly to other faith leaders who abuse their power, Lee said. — CBS News, 27 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for medicine man

Word History

First Known Use

1801, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of medicine man was in 1801

Rhymes for medicine man

See All Rhymes for medicine man

Browse Nearby Words

medicine lodge
medicine man
medicine show
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Medicine man.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/medicine%20man. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

medicine man

noun
: a person especially among members of Indigenous American tribes that is believed to have magic powers that can cure illnesses and keep away evil spirits by potions and charms
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of gambol

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All