Island Definition & Meaning

American

British

Scientific

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Examples

Related Words

Synonyms island American [ahy-luhnd] / ˈaɪ lənd /

noun

1. a tract of land completely surrounded by water, and not large enough to be called a continent.

2. something resembling an island, especially in being isolated or having little or no direct communication with others.

3. a raised platform with a counter or other work surface on top situated in the middle area of a room, especially a kitchen, so as to permit access from all sides.

4. safety island.

5. a low concrete platform for gasoline pumps at an automotive service station.

6. a clump of woodland in a prairie.

7. an isolated hill.

8. Anatomy. an isolated portion of tissue differing in structure from the surrounding tissue.

9. Railroads. a platform or building between sets of tracks.

verb (used with object)

1. to make into an island.

2. to dot with islands.

3. to place on an island; isolate.

island British / ˈaɪlənd /

noun

1. a mass of land that is surrounded by water and is smaller than a continent

2. See traffic island

3. anatomy a part, structure, or group of cells distinct in constitution from its immediate surroundings

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

1. to cause to become an island

2. to intersperse with islands

3. to place on an island; insulate; isolate

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012 island Scientific / ī′lənd /

1. A land mass, especially one smaller than a continent, entirely surrounded by water.

Other Word Forms

• island-like adjective
• islandish adjective
• islandless adjective
• islandlike adjective

Etymology

Origin of island

First recorded before 900; Middle English iland, Old English īgland, īland, variant of īegland, from īeg “island” (cognate with Old Norse ey ) + land land; spelling with -s- by association with isle

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The deal would see the UK cede sovereignty of the territory to Mauritius, and pay an average cost of £101m a year to lease back a joint UK-US military base on the largest island.

From BBC

The announcements of the trips follow news the pope will visit a series of areas within Italy in the coming months, including the island of Lampedusa.

From Barron's

The coach was born in the island's capital Nuuk and he said that Greenland was "not for sale".

From Barron's

It is the first time that Japan specified a timeline for the missile deployment to Yonaguni island since it was announced in 2022.

From BBC

“I never stayed overnight,” he said, or visited Epstein’s island.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• archipelago
• enclave
• isle
• islet
• peninsula
• reef

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.