cargo cult


noun(sometimes initial capital letters)
  1. any of various Indigenous religious groups of a millenarian and messianic character located in the southwestern Pacific Islands, holding that spirits will bring large cargoes of modern goods for distribution among its adherents.

Origin of cargo cult

1
First recorded in 1945–50

Other words from cargo cult

  • cargo cultist, noun

Words Nearby cargo cult

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use cargo cult in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for cargo cult

cargo cult

noun
  1. a religious movement of the SW Pacific, characterized by expectation of the return of spirits in ships or aircraft carrying goods that will provide for the needs of the followers

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