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
islanded; islanding; islands
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.
Synonyms
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
Valerie Trapp, The Atlantic, 26 Apr. 2024
During the winter of 1982-83, the ocean struck again, damaging the aging structure and leaving a 110-foot-long section standing as an odd-looking island.
—Terry Castleman, Los Angeles Times, 25 Apr. 2024
Two metal detectorists, Finn Ibsen and Lars Danielsen, were searching a field outside of Ringsted, a city on the island of Zealand, when Ibsen came across the unusual object.
—Julia Binswanger, Smithsonian Magazine, 25 Apr. 2024
An Oklahoma man faces up to 12 years in prison on a Caribbean island after customs officials found ammunition in his luggage.
—Patrick Smith, NBC News, 24 Apr. 2024
Ryan and Valerie Watson were detained for two weeks on the island after visiting on April 7 for a 40th birthday trip after hunting ammunition was found in Ryan’s carry-on bag at the airport ahead of their flight home.
—Escher Walcott, Peoplemag, 24 Apr. 2024
The traps were placed around the country, from the eastern coast on the Indian Ocean to the western coast on the Mozambique Channel, separating the island from the African mainland.
—Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 23 Apr. 2024
By 2030, there could be 14 — a remarkable concentration for an island only 25 miles (40 kilometers) long and eight miles (13 kilometers) across, with just over 3,000 full-time residents.
—Angus MacKinnon, CNN, 13 Apr. 2024
In the music-heavy clip, Moana returns to her home island of Montunui and is greeted with a hero’s welcome.
—Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 12 Apr. 2024
Maura Fox, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 Apr. 2024
Boaters and sailors can island hop among the myriad cays, stopping to swim, dive, and snorkel, or to enjoy refreshments at a colorful beach bar.
—Robb Report Studio, Robb Report, 1 Apr. 2024
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
Noun
Visuals showed cartoon dolphins swimming toward island oases.
—Valerie Trapp, The Atlantic, 26 Apr. 2024
During the winter of 1982-83, the ocean struck again, damaging the aging structure and leaving a 110-foot-long section standing as an odd-looking island.
—Terry Castleman, Los Angeles Times, 25 Apr. 2024
Two metal detectorists, Finn Ibsen and Lars Danielsen, were searching a field outside of Ringsted, a city on the island of Zealand, when Ibsen came across the unusual object.
—Julia Binswanger, Smithsonian Magazine, 25 Apr. 2024
An Oklahoma man faces up to 12 years in prison on a Caribbean island after customs officials found ammunition in his luggage.
—Patrick Smith, NBC News, 24 Apr. 2024
Ryan and Valerie Watson were detained for two weeks on the island after visiting on April 7 for a 40th birthday trip after hunting ammunition was found in Ryan’s carry-on bag at the airport ahead of their flight home.
—Escher Walcott, Peoplemag, 24 Apr. 2024
The traps were placed around the country, from the eastern coast on the Indian Ocean to the western coast on the Mozambique Channel, separating the island from the African mainland.
—Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 23 Apr. 2024
By 2030, there could be 14 — a remarkable concentration for an island only 25 miles (40 kilometers) long and eight miles (13 kilometers) across, with just over 3,000 full-time residents.
—Angus MacKinnon, CNN, 13 Apr. 2024
In the music-heavy clip, Moana returns to her home island of Montunui and is greeted with a hero’s welcome.
—Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 12 Apr. 2024
Verb
The Bayside Trail is a 1.86-mile out-and-back hike that takes visitors along the southeastern side of the monument and offers rewarding views of the San Diego Bay, Coronado, Ballast Point and the Coronado islands off the coast of Tijuana.
—Maura Fox, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 Apr. 2024
Boaters and sailors can island hop among the myriad cays, stopping to swim, dive, and snorkel, or to enjoy refreshments at a colorful beach bar.
—Robb Report Studio, Robb Report, 1 Apr. 2024
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
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.
Dictionary Entries Near island
Cite this Entry
“Island.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/island. Accessed 29 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
island
noun
is·land
ˈī-lənd 
: an isolated anatomical structure, tissue, or group of cells
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