island
Americannoun
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islands
plural
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a tract of land completely surrounded by water, and not large enough to be called a continent.
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something resembling an island, especially in being isolated or having little or no direct communication with others.
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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.
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a low concrete platform for gasoline pumps at an automotive service station.
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a clump of woodland in a prairie.
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an isolated hill.
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Anatomy. an isolated portion of tissue differing in structure from the surrounding tissue.
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Railroads. a platform or building between sets of tracks.
verb (used with object)
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to make into an island.
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to dot with islands.
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to place on an island; isolate.
noun
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a mass of land that is surrounded by water and is smaller than a continent
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See traffic island
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anatomy a part, structure, or group of cells distinct in constitution from its immediate surroundings
verb
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to cause to become an island
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to intersperse with islands
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to place on an island; insulate; isolate
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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
Explanation
An island is a piece of land that is surrounded on all sides by water. Some islands are so small that a beach chair and umbrella barely fit on them and some are big enough to contain a whole nation. To get to an island you must take a boat, bridge or airplane — be a strong swimmer. If you can get there by land it’s not an island, though it may be a peninsula, like Florida. There are many famous islands, like Manhattan and the islands of Hawaii. Things that are free-standing can also be called islands, like the island made of cabinets and a counter that is found in some kitchens — it's not connected to anything else.
Vocabulary lists containing island
Physical Geography - Introductory
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Physical Geography - Middle School
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Physical Geography - High School
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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.
See Examples For:
White Bay Cay spans around 25 acres, while the adjacent island adds 7 more acres to Perry’s secluded escape.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 5, 2026
With competition on the rise in the Arctic, Iceland has regained status as a strategic player, even as the island continues to rely heavily on the United States for security.
From Barron's ● Oct. 5, 2026
The National Trust for Jersey, which celebrated its 90th anniversary in August, manages about 1,800 vergées of land across the island.
From BBC ● Oct. 4, 2026
Ballard is a lance-corporal with the Third Marine Expeditionary Force stationed on the island, according to a U.S. official.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 4, 2026
It made her feel warm and smiley, like finishing Mountain Madness—and when Alex Rover described Keyhole Cove, it was as if he knew the island, and Nim, too.
From "Nim’s Island" by Wendy Orr
In 1972, Okinawa prefecture was returned to Japanese control after United States forces occupied the islands at the end of the Second World War.
From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026
Jim Fairlie, the Scottish government's minister for agriculture, marine and the islands, said bluetongue is "not going away any time soon" and called the restricted zone covering the whole of Scotland a "practical, sensible step."
From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026
When he was 15, he spent nearly three months living in Rapa Nui, one of the world’s most remote Polynesian islands.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 30, 2026
They’ve floated ideas like buying remote islands, stockpiling iodine pills, or moving to electromagnetically shielded bunkers in the desert.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 27, 2026
My parents in their own world, dreaming of leaving the islands.
From "Clairboyance" by Kristiana Kahakauwila
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.
