is·land
| \ ˈī-lənd
\
\
Definition of island
(Entry 1 of 2)
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
island
verb
islanded;
islanding;
islands
Definition of island (Entry 2 of 2)
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Examples of island in a Sentence
Noun
He lives on an island in the Caribbean. the island of Hawaii is the largest in the Hawaiian archipelagoRecent Examples on the Web: Noun
Tropical storm warnings and watches have been issued for several other islands, which could begin to feel the effects of the storm later today. — Leigh Morgan, al, "Tropical Storm Dorian 2019 path update: Dorian gains strength as concern grows for Puerto Rico and Florida," 26 Aug. 2019 German helicopter operator Rotorflug confirmed one of its aircraft had crashed on the island, a popular vacation destination for Europeans, CNN affiliate RTL reported. — Theresa Waldrop, CNN, "7 dead after small plane and helicopter collide on Spanish Mallorca," 25 Aug. 2019 For instance, of the 593 spider species currently identified on the island, 108 were described within the last two decades. — Nadia Drake, National Geographic, "Shimmery blue tarantula discovered," 23 Aug. 2019 Denmark’s Prime Minister rejected President Trump’s plan to purchase Greenland, a Danish territory and the world’s largest island, which was not for sale in the first place. — Dylan Bouscher, The Mercury News, "Political Cartoons: World News Weekly Roundup," 23 Aug. 2019 Denmark sent 38 firefighters to Greenland last week to help put out a fire near Sisimiut, in the western part of the island, that started in early July. — Morten Buttler, Fortune, "After Rebuffing Trump, Greenland and Denmark Tighten Relationship," 23 Aug. 2019 Federal and state officials agreed on a plan to spend $5.8 million to design and engineer work to restore Barren and James islands, U.S. Sens. Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen announced Thursday. — Scott Dance, baltimoresun.com, "Proposal advances to deposit Port of Baltimore dredge spoils on Chesapeake Bay’s Barren, James islands," 23 Aug. 2019 Going wide, Secrets of the Empire is now screening at shopping centers from California to the New York island, among the sock kiosks and mocha dispensaries, monetizing meatspace in the age of the online marketplace. — Troy Patterson, The New Yorker, "The VOID Is Where Virtual Reality Enters the Dying Meatspace of the Mall," 23 Aug. 2019 Her artwork comes from Mexico, Peru, Africa, Guatemala, Caribbean islands, and the United States – many items from the Southwest. — Mary Jane Brewer, cleveland.com, "Private folk art museum opens in Medina County," 21 Aug. 2019Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
Delvin Major, chief investigator for the Bahamas Air Accident Investigation Department, said all three people were rescued and safe and taken to Cat Cay in Bimini islands chain. — Linda Trischitta, sun-sentinel.com, "Three flyers on way to Miami survive plane crash in Bahamas," 8 Aug. 2019 Archaeologist Geoff Bailey, at the University of York, is currently working on a research project focused on a small group of southern Red Sea islands off the coast of Saudi Arabia. — Gemma Tarlach, Discover Magazine, "Rising Seas Swallowed Countless Archaeological Sites. Scientists Want Them Back," 20 May 2019 Between 1660 and 1806, the Danish transported 100,000—126,000 Africans to the Danish West Indies (St Croix, St John and St Thomas islands). — Rachel Ama Asaa Engmann, Quartz Africa, "A Ghanaian royal family’s conflict of collaboration and resistance in the African slave trade," 13 July 2019 According to Greenland’s Sermitsiaq newspaper (via CBS), the animal traveled a whopping 2,176 miles in 76 days, walking from Norway’s Svalbard islands to Northern Canada. — Eric Todisco, PEOPLE.com, "Fox Travels 2,176 Miles in 76 Days from Norway to Canada, Leaving Scientists 'Speechless'," 2 July 2019 Chalifoux, who has been driving on the island for 11 years, said the community has supported the drivers by offering carpool rides to island workers via a community Facebook group. — Allison Hagan, BostonGlobe.com, "Martha’s Vineyard bus drivers go on strike," 28 June 2019 The Pacific islands the Austronesians came to settle — eventually all the way to Hawaii and Easter Island — are like grains of sand scattered across a vast blue void. — James R. Hansen, Discover Magazine, "For Neil, Apollo Was the First Step in Humanity's Cosmic Migration," 20 May 2019 That network can island off from the larger grid and run on its own, at least for a limited time, if there is a blackout. — David Roberts, Vox, "Clean energy technologies threaten to overwhelm the grid. Here’s how it can adapt.," 30 Nov. 2018 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. 2018These 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.
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More Definitions for island
island
noun
English Language Learners Definition of island
: an area of land that is surrounded by water
: a raised area within a road, parking lot, or driveway that is used to separate or direct traffic
chiefly US
: a separate raised area with a flat surface on which food is prepared in a kitchen
See the full definition for island in the English Language Learners Dictionary
island
noun
is·land
| \ ˈī-lənd
\
\
Kids Definition of island
1
: an area of land surrounded by water and smaller than a continent
2
: something like an island in its isolation
We have a counter island in our kitchen.