Robinson Crusoe

American  

[kroo-soh] / ˈkru soʊ /

noun

1. (in a novel by Defoe) a mariner of York who is shipwrecked and lives adventurously for years on a small island.

2. (italics) the novel itself (1719).

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Robinson Crusoe British  

noun

1. the hero of Daniel Defoe's novel Robinson Crusoe (1719), who survived being shipwrecked on a desert island

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Robinson Crusoe Cultural  

1. (1719) A novel by the English author Daniel Defoe. Robinson Crusoe, an English sailor, is shipwrecked and cast ashore alone on an uninhabited island. With great ingenuity and energy, Crusoe sets out to civilize his surroundings: he clothes himself, grows crops, and builds and furnishes a house. Eventually, he has the company of his servant, Friday, a man he has saved from cannibals. Crusoe is finally rescued after spending twenty-eight years on the island.

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Robinson Crusoe has come to symbolize a person who has the strength and resourcefulness to thrive in isolation.

Example Sentences

When the seasoned diplomat found himself in the midst of a hazardous voyage in 1784, he might well have compared himself to the marooned Robinson Crusoe.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 9, 2026

"When I first heard there was a shipwreck at Scolt Head Island, I thought it was like something out of Robinson Crusoe," he said.

From BBC • May 3, 2025

He also played opposite Peter O'Toole's Robinson Crusoe in "Man Friday" in 1975 and alongside Laurence Olivier's depiction of General Douglas MacArthur in 1981's "Inchon".

From Reuters • Oct. 25, 2023

Madagascar’s fabulously improbable wildlife, from gremlin-like aye-ayes to satanic leaf-tailed geckos, may be thanks to dozens of dramatic oceanic journeys that would put Robinson Crusoe to shame, new research says.

From National Geographic • May 18, 2023

As Dad said, the only man who got his work done by Friday was Robinson Crusoe.

From "The Teacher’s Funeral" by Richard Peck