oasis

noun

oa·​sis ō-ˈā-səs 

plural oases ō-ˈā-ˌsēz 

1

: a fertile or green area in an arid region (such as a desert)

The caravan stopped to rest at an oasis.

2

: something that provides refuge, relief, or pleasant contrast

The small park is a welcome oasis amid the city's many factories.

Examples of oasis in a Sentence

The small park is a welcome oasis amid the city's many factories.

Our brief trip to the beach was a much-needed oasis in a summer of hard work.

Recent Examples on the Web

This naturalistic garden has almost half native plants and half non-native, but is an oasis in the middle of the city. —Janet B. Carson, Arkansas Online, 29 June 2025

Throughout their stay in a tropical oasis, Islanders will couple up to face brand new heart-racing challenges and bigger twists and turns than ever before. —Billie Melissa, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 June 2025

The birds are not the only ones flying in to see this oasis. —Angus Watson, CNN Money, 25 June 2025

In Gabès, a coastal oasis suffocated by a chemical complex, a fishing family is torn between survival and escape. —Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 24 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Latin Oasis, referring to the Great Oasis of Kharge in the Libyan Desert of Egypt, borrowed from Greek Óasis (Herodotus), borrowed from Egyptian wḥꜢ.t "fertile area in the desert"

First Known Use

1613, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for oasis

• basis
• glacis
• mesas
• stasis
• anabasis
• cholestasis
• haemostasis
• hemostasis
• hypostasis
• atelectasis
• bronchiectasis
• homeostasis

Kids Definition

oasis

noun

oa·​sis ō-ˈā-səs 

plural oases -ˈā-ˌsēz 

1

: a fertile or green spot in a desert

2

: something or some place that provides refreshing relief