isle

1 of 2

noun

ˈī(-ə)l 

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

Synonyms

Noun

• island
• islet

Examples of isle in a Sentence

Noun

the Australian seas are rife with uninhabited isles

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

On Wednesday, July 17, King Charles and Buckingham Palace led the tributes to the Queen on her special day by sharing a sweet photo of the royal posing on a balcony during their trip to the isle of Guernsey the day before. —Becca Longmire, Peoplemag, 17 July 2024

This bighearted story of a young London veterinarian and herpetologist eager to study the isle’s endangered turtles and find her father is about the importance of discovering a sense of community and belonging. —Staff, The Christian Science Monitor, 16 July 2024

It’s often regarded as a gateway to the Highlands and Scottish isles – and Scotland’s seafood capital. —Kathleen Wong, USA TODAY, 1 Feb. 2024

Add all that together and Athens finally has a resort that can give the buzzy Greek isles a run for their money. —Mark Ellwood, Robb Report, 10 July 2024

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

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