French West Indies

American  

plural noun

1. the French islands in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies, including Martinique and Guadeloupe and the five dependencies of Guadeloupe: administered as two overseas departments. 1,114 sq. mi. (2,885 sq. km).

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French West Indies British  

plural noun

1. various islands in the Lesser Antilles, administered by France; chiefly Guadeloupe, Martinique, Saint-Barthélemy and the French part of Saint Martin. Pop: 838 000 (2004 est). Area: 2792 sq km (1077 sq miles)

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Example Sentences

French lawmakers on Tuesday recognised the state's partial responsibility in allowing a toxic pesticide to be used in the French West Indies despite health warnings, inflicting long-term harm on the islands and their people.

From Barron's • Jun. 2, 2026

In one memorable passage on the French West Indies, he writes:

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026

The bacteria were first spotted in 2009 by Olivier Gros, a biologist at the University of the French West Indies and Guiana, while collecting underwater samples in Guadeloupe, a French island group in the Caribbean.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 23, 2022

She stood at the bedroom door of "a hotel in Martinique in the French West Indies" – the Warner Bros lot in Hollywood – looked up, and asked Humphrey Bogart for a match.

From The Guardian • Aug. 12, 2014

Married one of the wealthiest of the French king's wards and sailed for the French West Indies all in a fortnight.

From Ralestone Luck by Reid, James S.