inlet

American  

[in-let, -lit, in-let, in-let] / ˈɪn lɛt, -lɪt, ˈɪnˌlɛt, ɪnˈlɛt /

noun

inlets plural

1. an indentation of a shoreline, usually long and narrow; small bay or arm.

2. a narrow passage between islands.

3. a place of admission; entrance.

4. something put in or inserted.

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verb (used with object)

inlet, inletting

1. to put in; insert.

inlet British  

noun

1. a narrow inland opening of the coastline

2. an entrance or opening

3. the act of letting someone or something in

4. something let in or inserted

5. 1. a passage, valve, or part through which a substance, esp a fluid, enters a device or machine

   2. ( as modifier )

      an inlet valve

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verb

1. (tr) to insert or inlay

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• inlets
  plural

Etymology

Origin of inlet

Middle English word dating back to 1250–1300; see origin at in, let ¹

Example Sentences

Kristie and Joe Berg spent 15 years vacationing in a tiny one-bedroom cabin on remote Treasure Island on Puget Sound’s Case Inlet.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 30, 2026

Red Inlet Style Clam Chowder is one of the best chowders I have ever had the pleasure of tasting.

From Salon • Aug. 30, 2024

Between 50 and 100 whales were stranded at Toby’s Inlet near the tourist town of Dunsborough, the Parks and Wildlife Service of Western Australia state said in a statement.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 24, 2024

Coast Guard confirmed in a statement published on Tuesday that Griffin and his dog Leila were found dead off the coast of Oregon Inlet in North Carolina’s Outer Banks.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 6, 2024

The ice conditions improved as they worked to the north end of Prince Regent Inlet, and finally the pack was so disrupted and wasted that they crossed to Baffin Land without difficulty.

From True Tales of Arctic Heroism in the New World by Greely, Adolphus W.

Related Words

• basin
• estuary
• fjord