isle

1 of 2

noun

plural isles
: island
Pacific isles
Steering with due course toward the isle of Rhodes …William Shakespeare
especially : a small island : islet
I once lived on the … island of Antiparos, a tiny isle behind Paros. Emily Prager
Islay is a small Hebridean isle, some 25 miles in length, with a population of less than 4,000, yet it boasts eight of the oldest and most famous distilleries in Scotland. Henry Shukman

isle

2 of 2

verb

isled; isling

transitive verb

1
: to make an isle of
2
: to place on or as if on an isle

Examples of isle in a Sentence

Noun the Australian seas are rife with uninhabited isles
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
If your version of romance is hiking through monkey forests and rolling rice paddies — or dancing to DJ sets and light shows until the wee hours of the morning — head to Bali, a beautiful Indonesian isle known for its vibrant nightlife scene. Claudia Fisher, Travel + Leisure, 2 Mar. 2024 Largely a residential isle, Holden Beach is all about simple pleasures, from biking and kayaking along with playing on the beach during the day, to ghost crabbing at night. Tracey Minkin, Southern Living, 1 Mar. 2024 Cruise ship Le Bellot will sail along the southern slopes of Iberia to the isles of the eastern Atlantic, showcasing the ochre cliffs of Portugal’s Algarve Coast, the lush valleys of Madeira, and the volcanic craters of the Canary Islands. Demetrius Simms, Robb Report, 26 Feb. 2024 And Bieber wore a fair isle cardigan while out for a walk in West Hollywood. Nicol Natale, Peoplemag, 7 Feb. 2024 The secluded isle can accommodate up to 12 guests in its three villas and has its own airstrip, tennis court, yoga deck, and gym. Skye Sherman, Travel + Leisure, 26 Oct. 2023 The isles of Manhattan and Pulau Rhun could hardly be farther apart, not just in geography, but also in culture, economy and global prominence. Muktita Suhartono Nyimas Laula, New York Times, 9 Feb. 2024 Anole lizards have also found these tropical isles to be idyllic havens. Quanta Magazine, 2 Jan. 2024 Fair Isle Sweaters Call it The Crown effect, but fair isle sweaters were definitely a thing this year. Laura Jackson, Vogue, 27 Dec. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'isle.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Anglo-French ile, isle, from Latin insula

First Known Use

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined above

Verb

circa 1576, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of isle was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near isle

Cite this Entry

“Isle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/isle. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

isle

noun
ˈī(ə)l
: island sense 1
especially : islet
Etymology

Noun

from early French isle "isle, island," from Latin insula "island" — related to insulate, isolate, peninsula

More from Merriam-Webster on isle

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