Caribbean

adjective

Ca·​rib·​be·​an ˌker-ə-ˈbē-ən How to pronounce Caribbean (audio)
ˌka-rə-,
kə-ˈri-bē-ən How to pronounce Caribbean (audio)
: of or relating to the Caribs, the eastern and southern West Indies, or the Caribbean Sea
the Caribbean islands
a Caribbean cruise

Examples of Caribbean in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The violence has worsened a devastating humanitarian crisis in the Caribbean nation of 11 million. Jennifer Pritheeva Samuel, Washington Post, 17 Mar. 2024 The Pirates of the Caribbean star went on to attend Miramar High School but eventually dropped out to pursue music at the age of 16. Alex Gurley, Peoplemag, 15 Mar. 2024 What is happening currently with Colombian music is, first, the reflection of a country that has many geographies and therefore also a lot of sound richness — there are not only Caribbean sounds but there are Pacific sounds, sounds from the coasts but also from the inland. Sigal Ratner-Arias, Billboard, 15 Mar. 2024 What is apparent is that the gangs are trying to capitalize on their control of Port-au-Prince, the capital, to become a legitimate political force in the negotiations being brokered by foreign governments including the United States, France and Caribbean nations. Frances Robles, New York Times, 14 Mar. 2024 The Caribbean color scheme of reds, yellows, and black transports Thompson back to Jamaica. Kerane Marcellus, Essence, 14 Mar. 2024 The protagonist of Until August is a middle-aged woman named Ana Magdalena Bach, who visits her mother’s grave on a Caribbean island every year. Sonja Anderson, Smithsonian Magazine, 13 Mar. 2024 An Indiana family that moved to the Commonwealth of Dominica to escape Covid-19 mandates and soon wound up entangled in the legal system there has been deported from the eastern Caribbean island. Alexandria Burris, The Indianapolis Star, 13 Mar. 2024 The novel will tell the intimate tale of Ana Magdalena Bach, a woman in her late 40s who travels to a Caribbean island every August to visit her mother’s grave. EW.com, 6 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'Caribbean.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

New Latin Caribbaeus, from Caribes

First Known Use

1772, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of Caribbean was in 1772

Dictionary Entries Near Caribbean

Cite this Entry

“Caribbean.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Caribbean. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on Caribbean

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