CAY Synonyms: 10 Similar and Opposite Words

cay

noun

Definition of cay

as in atoll

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of cay For the Bahamas, that means looking beyond Nassau’s cruise port crowds to discover what this nation of 700 islands and cays really offers. — AFAR Media, 11 May 2026 Bequia is the gateway to the 32 islands and cays that comprise the Grenadines, so a trip to the island isn't complete with taking to the seas. — Carley Rojas Avila, Travel + Leisure, 22 Apr. 2026 Raja Ampat, Indonesia Raja Ampat is an Indonesian archipelago made up of 1,500 small islands, cays, and shoals off the northwest tip of New Guinea. — Jasmine Ting, Condé Nast Traveler, 20 Mar. 2026 Cayo Falcones is a cay, or small island, off Cuba’s north coast, near Corralillo, a rural town in the Villa Clara province of Cuba. — Michelle Marchante, Miami Herald, 26 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for cay

Recent Examples of Synonyms for cay

Noun

Researchers from the Archaeological Legacy Institute and Purdue University embarked this month on the Taraia Object expedition in Nikumaroro, an uninhabited coral atoll in the Phoenix Islands belonging to the Republic of Kiribati.

— Marlene Lenthang, NBC news, 19 Oct. 2026
While it was likely visited by Polynesians who crossed the Pacific on seafaring voyages, the atoll wasn't permanently inhabited.

— Lauren Sommer, NPR, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of atoll

Noun

Japan has also raised concern over China's gradual escalation of its military activity around remote Japanese islands in the Pacific Ocean.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 20 Oct. 2026
The city said upcoming king tides have the potential to cause flooding along the Balboa Peninsula, islands in Newport Harbor and other areas.

— Austin Turner, CBS News, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of island

Noun

The world’s coral reef ecosystems almost all face a high risk of collapse in the next 50 years mostly due to warming oceans and heat waves, according to a global assessment released Thursday.

— ABC News, ABC News, 22 Oct. 2026
Caught in four episodes ranging from high tide in the Australian coral reef to just before dawn in the Kalahari Desert.

— John Hopewell, Variety, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of coral reef

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“Cay.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cay. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of cay

noun

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