barrier island

noun

: 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

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web

So what else makes this thin barrier island, part of the Outer Banks, such a good investment? —Dobrina Zhekova, Travel + Leisure, 14 Apr. 2023

The city of Isle of Palms is located on a barrier island about 15 miles east of Charleston, South Carolina. —Claire Thornton, USA TODAY, 8 Apr. 2023

Loggerhead turtles nest on the barrier island, and a variety of programs are in place to protect their habitats. —Patricia Doherty, Travel + Leisure, 25 Mar. 2023

There are no food banks or pantries in this largely Iñupiat village on a barrier island along the Chukchi Sea. —Annie Berman, Anchorage Daily News, 27 Feb. 2023

Step back in time on this barrier island where strict regulations govern the type of buildings and businesses allowed. —Cristina Corvino, Country Living, 4 Feb. 2023

Instead, all eyes were focused on a bright patch of artificial light on a barrier island a couple of miles away. —John Timmer, Ars Technica, 25 Jan. 2023

Although large cruise ships frequent the deeper water around Key West, a shallow channel called the Lakes Passage runs along the northern side of the barrier islands. —Outside Online, 4 Jan. 2023

As Merbok headed north, residents of Kivalina, an Inupiat village of about four hundred and fifty people situated on a fragile barrier island eighty-three miles north of the Arctic Circle, received a National Weather Service report, warning of winds of up to sixty-five miles an hour. —Emily Witt, The New Yorker, 21 Nov. 2022

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Word History

First Known Use

1773, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

barrier island

noun

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