hamlet

1 of 2

noun (1)

ham·​let ˈham-lət How to pronounce hamlet (audio)
Synonyms of hamletnext
: a small village

Hamlet

2 of 2

noun (2)

Ham·​let ˈham-lət How to pronounce Hamlet (audio)
: a legendary Danish prince and hero of Shakespeare's play Hamlet

Synonyms of hamlet

Relevance

Noun (1)

See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of hamlet in a Sentence

Noun (1) she always longed to return to the quiet hamlet where she had been born
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.
Noun
Among those evacuated were around 250 people from El Porvenir and the hamlet of Las Lajitas. — ABC News, 4 Aug. 2026 In Allagash, a hamlet of some 200 people near Canada, residents are sharply divided over Troy Jackson. — Alexei Koseff, Washington Post, 2 Aug. 2026
Noun
Founded by Puritans from the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1630, Boston got its name from a hamlet in Lincolnshire, England. — Tracy Grant, Encyclopedia Britannica, 23 June 2026 With far less hair, Ella’s green eyes seemed greener, like those of the feral black cats that roamed their hamlet, meowing for table scraps, which were often given without hesitation. — Literary Hub, 18 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for hamlet

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English, from Anglo-French hamelet, diminutive of ham village, of Germanic origin; akin to Old English hām village, home

First Known Use

Noun (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

1601, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of hamlet was before the 12th century

Browse Nearby Words

ham it up
hamlet
Hamlet
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Hamlet.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hamlet. Accessed 5 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

hamlet

noun
ham·​let ˈham-lət How to pronounce hamlet (audio)
: a small village

More from Merriam-Webster on hamlet

Nglish: Translation of hamlet for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about hamlet

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!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

'Sneaked' or 'Snuck': Which is correct?

Why does English have so many silent letters?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

How long is a jiffy?

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat
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
asap street sign
Figure Out These Acronyms ASAP You don't have to be a NASA engineer to get these...
See All