Virgin Islands

American  

[vur-jin ahy-luhndz] / ˈvɜr dʒɪn ˈaɪ ləndz /

plural noun

1. a group of islands in the West Indies, east of Puerto Rico: comprises the Virgin Islands of the United States and the British Virgin Islands. VI (for use with zip code), V.I.

---

Virgin Islands British  

plural noun

1. a group of about 100 small islands (14 inhabited) in the Caribbean, east of Puerto Rico: discovered by Columbus (1493); consists of the British Virgin Islands in the east and the Virgin Islands of the United States in the west and south. Pop: 136 649 (2013 est). Area: 497 sq km (192 sq miles)

---

Virgin Islands Cultural  

1. Islands in the Caribbean Sea, east of Puerto Rico, owned by the United States and Britain.

---

Discover More

Christopher Columbus discovered the Virgin Islands in 1493.

Example Sentences

Born to parents who moved to New York from the US Virgin Islands, Rollins incorporated some of the inflections of his heritage into his jazz.

From Barron's • May 26, 2026

His mother, Valborg, who had emigrated from St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands, worked as a domestic; his father, Walter, who had emigrated from St. Croix, was a petty officer in the U.S.

From Los Angeles Times • May 26, 2026

The Tim Hortons trade also was routed to the Russian trader, who bought the shares in the name of a shell company registered in the British Virgin Islands, according to court papers.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 12, 2026

A total of 11 offices in Charlotte Square - which is home to the publicly-owned Bute House, the first minister's official residence - are registered to a property firm based in the British Virgin Islands.

From BBC • May 12, 2026

The family had moved from Puerto Rico to St. Croix in the Virgin Islands with the hope that my dad could start a small construction company and make big money.

From "Hole in My Life" by Jack Gantos