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
Plural word for oasis The plural form of oasis is oases, pronounced [ oh-ey-seez ]. The plurals of several other singular words that end in -is are also formed in this way, including hypothesis/hypotheses, crisis/crises, and axis/axes. A similar change is made when pluralizing appendix as appendices. Irregular plurals that are formed like oases derive directly from their original pluralization in Latin and Greek.
First recorded in 1605–15; from Late Latin, from Greek óasis, from Egyptian wḥʾt “oasis region”
As you walk through the desert of life, may you always find your oasis — a place where you can find safety and sustenance. Although the literal meaning of oasis is "a green spot in the desert," it can also be used to describe a peaceful area in our everyday lives. Perhaps your home is your oasis, where you can escape life's rigors. An oasis refers to a location, but it can also be an imagined place — as in an acting exercise where an actor builds an imaginary oasis in his or her mind. The actor can then remember the image to relax on stage.
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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.
A state that prohibited slavery from its founding and sustained a strong industrial economy, Ohio became an oasis for African-Americans seeking legal freedom during the slave era.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 18, 2026
About 25 minutes before the crew splashed back down on our oasis, Artemis II Cmdr.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 10, 2026
For generations, a Saudi oasis town has been a favoured spot for stressed visitors from the nearby capital Riyadh to come and decompress.
From Barron's • Apr. 6, 2026
With the city's greatest appeal having always been its image as a stable oasis in a turbulent region, is this brand now forever threatened?
From BBC • Mar. 13, 2026
“The oasis is neutral ground. No one attacks an oasis,” said a third chieftain.
From "The Alchemist" by Paulo Coelho
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.
