Barbados

American  

[bahr-bey-dohs, -dohz, -duhs] / bɑrˈbeɪ doʊs, -doʊz, -dəs /

noun

1. an island in the E West Indies constituting an independent state in the Commonwealth of Nations: formerly a British colony. 166 sq. mi. (430 sq. km). Bridgetown.

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Barbados British  

/ bɑːˈbeɪdəʊs, -dɒs, -dəʊz /

noun

1. an island in the Caribbean, in the E Lesser Antilles: a British colony from 1628 to 1966, now an independent state within the Commonwealth. Language: English. Currency: Barbados dollar. Capital: Bridgetown. Pop: 288 725 (2013 est). Area: 430 sq km (166 sq miles)

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Barbados Cultural  

1. Island republic in the easternmost West Indies in the Atlantic Ocean about three hundred miles north of Venezuela.

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Discover More

Barbados is a member of the British Commonwealth and a popular resort area.

Other Word Forms

• Barbadian adjective

Example Sentences

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

When England will leave India is still not entirely clear given the situation in the Middle East, but all being well Bethell will return to Barbados for little more than a week.

From BBC • Mar. 6, 2026

The Sydney rain in 1992, a run out and dropped catch in 1999, Grant Elliott's last-over charge in 2015 and the late collapse against India in Barbados in 2024.

From BBC • Mar. 3, 2026

Proctor subsequently took flights to Trinidad and also Barbados, another Caribbean island, and returned stateside without incident three more times between December 2024 and September 2025, according to his wife’s declaration.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 9, 2026

Olaudah Equiano, who lived from approximately 1745 to 1797, later claimed that he was an African taken to Barbados to work in sugar.

From "Sugar Changed the World: A Story of Magic, Spice, Slavery, Freedom, and Science" by Marc Aronson