island

1 of 2

noun

is·​land ˈī-lənd How to pronounce island (audio)
often attributive
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

2 of 2

verb

islanded; islanding; islands

transitive verb

1
a
: to make into or as if into an island
b
: to dot with or as if with islands
2

Did you know?

The words island and isle are etymologically distinct. Island can be traced back to Old English īgland, composed of two elements īg and land. Land, as we might expect means “land,” but īg means “island” in Old English. In a sense, then, īgland is “island-land.” The English isle, on the other hand, is derived through medieval French from the Latin insula. In the 16th century, under the influence of isle, the letter s was added to iland, the earlier form of island. The verb island did not appear until the 17th century.

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 archipelago
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
The Caribbean island brought influences like danzón and kizomba to his songs. Maya Georgi, Rolling Stone, 21 Mar. 2024 Located on its own private island, the resort has 108 private bungalows (including 27 with private plunge pools) to enjoy a totally relaxing tropical retreat. Shelby Wax, Vogue, 20 Mar. 2024 The island dramatized every rupture, deepened every longing. Carina Del Valle Schorske, New York Times, 20 Mar. 2024 The island produces the majority of the world’s advanced logic semiconductors, and any military escalations across the strait with China would be a heavy blow to the global supply chain. John Cheng, Fortune Asia, 18 Mar. 2024 Just 35 minutes from the Krabi International Airport, guests will also have convenient access to outlying islands and additional beaches. Patricia Doherty, Travel + Leisure, 18 Mar. 2024 There are moments of abject fear as the unbreakable Gee (Feodor Chin) is badgered and belittled by his interrogators, but also moments of sublime contemplation when a young man chisels a poem into the wall to mark his 17 months of suffering on the island. Karen D'souza, The Mercury News, 18 Mar. 2024 Ireland's skilled workforce includes people of many nationalities, not just those born on the island, Houlihan added. The Arizona Republic, 17 Mar. 2024 On December 7, 2020, a structure was found on Compton Beach on the Isle of Wight — an island off the south coast of England. Charna Flam, Peoplemag, 17 Mar. 2024
Verb
Querétaro, a historic city in Central Mexico, and Isla Mujeres and Cozumel, islands off the coast of Cancun and Riviera Maya, all offer housing for as low as $500 a month, access to excellent healthcare, and an abundance of recreational activities. Dobrina Zhekova, Travel + Leisure, 7 Mar. 2024 And there's lots of different theories about which islands around the Mediterranean could've corresponded to which lands in the Odyssey, and they're all based basically on kind of whimsy or things like a particular cave or the arrangement of the stars on a specific island. Cnt Editors, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Feb. 2024 Little Torch Key, and its sister islands Middle and Big Torch Key, were named after the torchwood, a native tree found on all three islands that's effective as kindling even when wet. Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 6 Dec. 2023 Want to island hop around French Polynesia, visit Africa's incredible cities, and cruise through Asia without ever switching hotels or repacking your bags? Elizabeth Rhodes, Travel + Leisure, 14 Feb. 2023 Customize it to display the lake or island their choice and watch them fall in love with hosting all over again. Ni'kesia Pannell, Woman's Day, 14 Sep. 2022 The result has been a reduction in costs and greenhouse gas emissions with the renewable energy of solar and combined heat and power, as well as having a plan in place to island off the traditional power grid in case of any future outages. Luis D’acosta, Forbes, 24 June 2022 Want to island hop around French Polynesia, visit Africa's incredible cities, and cruise through Asia without ever switching hotels, boarding a flight, or repacking your bags? Elizabeth Rhodes, Travel + Leisure, 3 Jan. 2022 The episode centres around John B.’s (Chase Stokes) flight from his Outer Banks island hometown after he is framed for the murder of Sheriff Peterkin (Adina Porter). Ariana Romero, refinery29.com, 20 Apr. 2020

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'island.' 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

Noun

alteration (influenced by Anglo-French isle) of earlier iland, from Middle English, from Old English īgland (akin to Old Norse eyland), from īg island (akin to Old English ēa river, Latin aqua water) + land land

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1661, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of island was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near island

Cite this Entry

“Island.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/island. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

island

noun
is·​land
ˈī-lənd
1
: an area of land surrounded by water and smaller than a continent
2
: something suggestive of an island in its isolation
Etymology

Noun

an altered form of earlier iland "island," derived from Old English īgland "island"; the spelling island was influenced by the word isle, which is not related

Medical Definition

island

noun
is·​land ˈī-lənd How to pronounce island (audio)
: an isolated anatomical structure, tissue, or group of cells

More from Merriam-Webster on island

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