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 pier stands at the foot of the Dauphin Island Bridge and is viewed as the entrance into Alabama’s only barrier island that is popular for bird watching, beachgoers, and Civil War history seekers. — al, 9 Nov. 2021 Hurricane Ida made landfall 10 miles southwest of the small barrier island with 150 mph winds. — Matt Leach, Fox News, 7 Oct. 2021 The 2020 study found subsidence in other areas of the region, but on the east side of the barrier island where Surfside is, the condo complex was the only place where the issue was detected. — New York Times, 26 June 2021 There are many unknowns when mapping future conditions, including natural evolution of the coastal landforms (e.g., barrier island overwash and migration), as well as the data used to predict the changes. — Alex Putterman, courant.com, 4 Nov. 2021 One of the slicks was very near the East Timbalier Island National Wildlife Refuge, an ecologically-rich part of a barrier island chain that forms the first line of defense against vulnerable inner bays, as well as the hub of Port Fourchon. — New York Times, 26 Sep. 2021 The rising ocean swamped the barrier island of Grand Isle as landfall came just to the west at Port Fourchon. — Compiled Democrat-gazette Staff From Wire Reports, Arkansas Online, 30 Aug. 2021 Chincoteague is cozied up alongside the slender 37-mile-long Assateague, a barrier island running up Virginia’s and Maryland’s coastlines. — Washington Post, 2 Sep. 2021 The rising ocean swamped the barrier island of Grand Isle and roofs on buildings around Port Fourchon blew off as Ida made landfall. — Rebecca Santana, chicagotribune.com, 30 Aug. 2021

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.

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Dictionary Entries Near barrier island

barrier ice

barrier island

barrier layer

Statistics for barrier island

Last Updated

25 Nov 2021

Cite this Entry

“Barrier island.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/barrier%20island. Accessed 8 Dec. 2021.

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