island

noun, often attributive is·land \ ˈī-lənd \

Updated on: 13 Apr 2018

Definition of island

1 : a tract of land surrounded by water and smaller than a continent

2 : something resembling an island especially in its isolated or surrounded position: such as

a : a usually raised area within a thoroughfare, parking lot, or driveway used especially to separate or direct traffic

b : a superstructure on the deck of a ship (such as an aircraft carrier)

c : a kitchen counter that is approachable from all sides

3 : an isolated group or area; especially : an isolated ethnological group

See island defined for English-language learners

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Examples of island in a Sentence

He lives on an island in the Caribbean.
the island of Hawaii is the largest in the Hawaiian archipelago

Recent Examples of island from the Web

And Henderson Island, halfway between Chile and New Zealand, earned the dubious title for the world’s most polluted island in May when researchers discovered an estimated 38 million pieces of plastic washed up on its shores, reported NBC News.

— don sweeney, sacbee, "A sperm whale died from eating 64 pounds of plastic litter, marine experts say | The Sacramento Bee," 9 Apr. 2018
Local communities on the island, private relief groups and federal teams have been working since the monster storm hit, but tens of thousands remain without power six months later, ABC News recently reported.

— ann doss helms, charlotteobserver, "'It doesn't seem right:' Charlotte teens say if U.S. won't help Puerto Rico, they will | Charlotte Observer," 9 Apr. 2018
There’s a giant volcano called Mount Stromboli on the island, which has been continuously erupting for the last 2,000 years.

— alex delany, Bon Appetit, "This Tax Season Stromboli Recipe Is My Only Dependent," 9 Apr. 2018
The opposition also has not managed to gain much ground in eastern Sabah and Sarawak states on Borneo island, which account for a quarter of parliamentary seats.

— Washington Post, "Malaysian PM pledges to make country great in poll manifesto," 7 Apr. 2018
Fiji’s population numbers 900,000 across more than 300 islands, some of which have mountains rising to 1,300 metres.

— paul takahashi, Houston Chronicle, "Seafood restaurants squeezed by climate change, growing appetites," 6 Apr. 2018
Much of the film takes place on the island, which Anderson and his animators realize in marvelous detail.

— ben sachs, Chicago Reader, "Film / Politics Isle of Dogs is Wes Anderson's timeliest film," 6 Apr. 2018
Political turbulence and poverty in the other three islands, which became the independent Union of the Comoros, have since led thousands to flee to Mayotte.

— The Economist, "France’s leakiest border is in the Indian Ocean," 5 Apr. 2018
WSJ Philippine Diversion Airlines are cancelling flights to the popular Philippine island of Boracay, after the government ordered its closure to protect it.

— david meyer, Fortune, "Zuckerberg Speaks, Oracle and Trump, YouTube Security: CEO Daily for April 5, 2018," 5 Apr. 2018

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

Did You Know?

The words island and isle are etymologically distinct. Island can be traced back to Old English īgland, composed of two elements īg and land. Land, as we might expect means “land,” but īg means “island” in Old English. In a sense, then, īgland is “island-land.” The English isle, on the other hand, is derived through medieval French from the Latin insula. In the 16th century, under the influence of isle, the letter s was added to iland, the earlier form of island. The verb island did not appear until the 17th century.

Origin and Etymology of island

alteration (influenced by Anglo-French isle) of earlier iland, from Middle English, from Old English īgland (akin to Old Norse eyland), from īg island (akin to Old English ēa river, Latin aqua water) + land land

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

See Words from the same year

island Synonyms

Synonyms

isle, islet;

Near Antonyms

continent, main, mainland;

Other Geology Terms

anthracite, boulder, cwm, erratic, igneous, intrusive, mesa, sedimentary, silt, swale

island

verb

Definition of island

transitive verb

1 a : to make into or as if into an island

b : to dot with or as if with islands

2 : isolate

Recent Examples of island from the Web

The 21 percent that nest on the Kerguelen Islands in the Indian Ocean and the Falkland and Tierra del Fuego islands close to South America would find their nesting grounds altered and would have to travel farther to find food and so might relocate.

— karen weintraub, New York Times, "King Penguins Are Endangered by Warmer Seas," 26 Feb. 2018
In the offshore world, wealthy people and corporations use the banking systems of low-tax countries, often island nations in the Caribbean, to shield their assets from taxing authorities in their home countries.

— david heinzmann, chicagotribune.com, "Tribune exclusive: Pritzker's secret offshore holdings revealed in Chicago duck boat land deal," 14 Mar. 2018
Critics have said the exemption allowed UBS Group AG to sell funds to island residents that later suffered big losses, wiping out many clients’ life savings.

— ryan tracy, WSJ, "Lawmakers Expand Scope of Senate Bank-Deregulation Bill," 7 Mar. 2018
To find out why, researchers set out cameras to record clownfish behaviors near North Solitary and Lord Howe islands along Australia’s east coast.

— jennifer leman, Science | AAAS, "Why some clownfish are boring," 14 Dec. 2017
Authorities were letting residents and business owners to return to Upper Keys islands close to the mainland Tuesday morning, but people from the Lower Keys faced a longer wait.

— jennifer kay and doug ferguson, chicagotribune.com, "Florida makes slow moves toward recovery after Hurricane Irma," 12 Sep. 2017
Dr Toomey’s findings stem from his analysis of sediment cores collected near the Dry Tortugas, islands off Florida’s coast.

— The Economist, "PalaeoclimatologyTraces of old hurricanes show how hard climate science is," 19 Oct. 2017
The island was largely spared the widespread damage caused by Hurricane Irma on the chain's St. Thomas and St. John islands just two weeks ago.

— carlisle jno baptiste and danica coto, chicagotribune.com, "Hurricane Maria aims at Puerto Rico after slamming Dominica," 19 Sep. 2017
Next in the storm's path was St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands, which was largely spared the widespread damage caused by Hurricane Irma on the chain's St. Thomas and St. John islands just two weeks ago.

— Bloomberg.com, "Hurricane Maria Slams Dominica, Now Takes Aim At Puerto Rico," 19 Sep. 2017