oasis

[ oh-ey-sis ]

See synonyms for oasis on Thesaurus.com

noun,plural o·a·ses

[oh-ey-seez]. /oʊˈeɪ siz/.

a small fertile or green area in a desert region, usually having a spring or well.
something serving as a refuge, relief, or pleasant change from what is usual, annoying, difficult, etc.: The library was an oasis of calm in the hectic city.

Origin of oasis

1605–15; <Late Latin <Greek óasis (Herodotus) <Egyptian wḥʾt oasis, oasis region

Other words for oasis

2	haven, harbor, retreat, shelter

See synonyms for oasis on Thesaurus.com

Other words from oasis

o·a·sit·ic [oh-uh-sit-ik], /ˌoʊ əˈsɪt ɪk/, o·a·sal, o·a·se·an [oh-ey-see-uhn], /oʊˈeɪ si ən/, adjective

Words Nearby oasis

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use oasis in a sentence

You might be surprised to hear that hidden in Tampa, Florida is a food oasis of the Cuban persuasion.
Eat Your Way Through Tampa’s Cuban Oasis | Starbucks | July 10, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
The pop-punk of Green Day, the Britpop of oasis, the alternative arena rock of Weezer.
Remembering Weezer’s ‘The Blue Album,’ A Garage Rock Classic, on Its 20th Anniversary | Andrew Romano | May 10, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
And, as it turns out, a necessary zen oasis from the deafening screams of tweenage girls as this Austin Mahone character performs.
I Was Way Too Old for Z100’s Jingle Ball Concert. But I Couldn’t Have Had More Fun. | Kevin Fallon | December 14, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
Even so, in the turbulent Middle East of the Arab Spring Lebanon has been an oasis of calm and relative affluence.
After Beirut Bombing of Wissan al-Hassan, a Wary Calm in Lebanon | Jamie Dettmer | October 30, 2012 | THE DAILY BEAST
They rushed out in bathrobes and slippers, their blissful oasis near a suburban mall suddenly transformed into a horror scene.
Wisconsin Spa Becomes Mass Murder Site as Gunman Kills Three and Himself | Lizzie Crocker | October 23, 2012 | THE DAILY BEAST

A trick like this—a generosity so distinct as this—is a real oasis in the ecclesiastical desert.
Our Churches and Chapels | Atticus
We now enter the Palais Royal, that strange white and green oasis into which it is so simple never to stray.
A Wanderer in Paris | E. V. Lucas
Now I was filled with the desire to lie here in this “oasis” and live at ease and sniff the clean fragrance of mountain plants.
Mount Everest the Reconnaissance, 1921 | Charles Kenneth Howard-Bury
He is the one refreshing oasis in the desert wilderness of the Classical school.
The History of Modern Painting, Volume 1 (of 4) | Richard Muther
It would be an oasis in this desert—that Express car; but lo!
Four Years in Rebel Capitals | T. C. DeLeon

British Dictionary definitions for oasis (1 of 2)

oasis

/ (əʊˈeɪsɪs) /

nounplural -ses (-siːz)

a fertile patch in a desert occurring where the water table approaches or reaches the ground surface
a place of peace, safety, or happiness in the midst of trouble or difficulty

Origin of oasis

C17: via Latin from Greek, probably of Egyptian origin

British Dictionary definitions for Oasis (2 of 2)

Oasis

/ (əʊˈeɪsɪs) /

noun

trademark a block of light porous material, used as a base for flower arrangements

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for oasis

oasis

[ ō-ā′sĭs ]

Plural oases (ō-ā′sēz)

A small area in a desert that has a supply of water and is able to support vegetation. An oasis forms when groundwater lies close enough to the surface to form a spring or to be reached by wells.

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