barrier island

noun

Definition of barrier island

: a long broad sandy island lying parallel to a shore that is built up by the action of waves, currents, and winds and that protects the shore from the effects of the ocean

Examples of barrier island in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The storm took a parallel track off the East Coast, bringing heavy winds, rain and some flooding to South Carolina before making landfall Friday on North Carolina's barrier islands. — John Bacon, USA TODAY, "500,000 lose power as unrelenting Dorian marches into Canada," 8 Sep. 2019 Cooper had already ordered evacuations on the state's fragile barrier islands. — Barnini Chakraborty, Fox News, "Wild horses of North Carolina to ride out hurricane with 'butts to the wind'," 4 Sep. 2019 Though the barrier island was evacuated and closed to traffic, Florida Power & Light Co. workers in bucket trucks were busy there Tuesday morning fixing sagging power lines. — Anthony Man, sun-sentinel.com, "‘We got spared,’ Floridians sigh as Hurricane Dorian starts to move on," 3 Sep. 2019 The evacuation includes mobile homes, substandard housing, low-lying areas prone to flooding and homes along the Intracoastal Waterway and on barrier islands. — Author: Ramón Espinosa, Anchorage Daily News, "Dorian closes in on Bahamas as dangerous Category 5 storm," 1 Sep. 2019 The evacuation includes mobile homes, substandard housing, low-lying areas prone to flooding and homes along the Intracoastal Waterway and on barrier islands. — Ramon Espinosa, BostonGlobe.com, "Hurricane Dorian strengthens to Category 5 storm," 1 Sep. 2019 Matt Canada and wife Erin enjoy the sounds of crashing waves while on the porch of their beach house on Topsail Island, a barrier island off the coast of North Carolina. — Ross Dellenger, SI.com, "Where in the World Is Matt Canada—and Why Doesn't He Have a Job?," 27 Aug. 2019 The Outer Banks look different on many levels as the barrier islands begin to reopen businesses slowly and clean up in the aftermath of Hurricane Dorian. — Perri Ormont Blumberg, Southern Living, "Officials Say Hurricane Dorian Has Changed the Shape of Cape Lookout National Seashore," 11 Sep. 2019 The Outer Banks barrier islands were particularly exposed. — Anchorage Daily News, "Dorian, back to a Category 3 hurricane, creeps up US coast," 5 Sep. 2019

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