Standard Lemma guide

meeple

noun · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈmiːpəl/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -iːpəl

1

noun

Meaning 1

A small person-shaped figure used as a player's token in a board game.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • For quotations using this term, see Citations:meeple.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Blend of my + people. Coined by Alison Hansel in November 2000 during a game of Carcassonne on the South Shore of Massachusetts.

Across languages

Translations

5 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Chinese Cantonese: 米寶 /米宝 (mai5 bou2) — wooden token with a human shape used by a player in a board game
  • Chinese Mandarin: 米寶 /米宝 (mǐbǎo) — wooden token with a human shape used by a player in a board game
  • Japanese: ミープル (mīpuru) — wooden token with a human shape used by a player in a board game
  • Russian: фигурка (figurka) — wooden token with a human shape used by a player in a board game
  • Spanish: keko — wooden token with a human shape used by a player in a board game