Recent Examples on the Web

The US Government used quadroon and octoroon, etc., as distinctions in laws regarding rights and restrictions. Aaron Gilbreath, Longreads, "On Racism and Epithets," 10 Aug. 2020

The 1850 census instructed enumerators: Be particularly careful to distinguish between blacks, mulattoes, quadroons, and octoroons. Jess Mchugh, Fortune, "The U.S. Census Has a Long History of Discrimination," 20 June 2019

As Zoe, the titular octoroon and object of plantation heir George Peyton's affection, Ariel Richardson gives an affecting performance filled with striking silhouette-like poses and raw recitations of prose. Dan Jakes, Chicago Reader, "Definition Theatre’s An Octoroon boldly subverts, in white-, red-, and blackface," 2 Aug. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'octoroon.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.