West Indies
Americannoun
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Also called the Indies. (used with a plural verb) an archipelago in the northern Atlantic between North and South America, comprising the Greater Antilles, the Lesser Antilles, and the Bahamas.
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Also called West Indies Federation. (used with a singular verb) Federation of the West Indies. a former federation (1958–62) of the British islands in the Caribbean, comprising Barbados, Jamaica, Trinidad, Tobago, and the Windward and Leeward island colonies.
noun
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It is a popular resort area.
Several of the islands were discovered by Christopher Columbus in 1492.
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
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
His seventh six, hit in only the fourth over, broke the record for the most sixes in a single IPL season - a record previously held by former West Indies international Gayle with 59.
From BBC • May 27, 2026
Plantation slavery was perfected in the West Indies, notably on the sugar islands of British Barbados and present-day Haiti, where the system proved immensely profitable.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026
In one memorable passage on the French West Indies, he writes:
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026
Finally, around 1778, he was allowed to sail to the West Indies.
From "George Washington, Spymaster" by Thomas B. Allen
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.
