Borneo

American  

[bawr-nee-oh] / ˈbɔr niˌoʊ /

noun

1. an island in the Malay Archipelago, politically divided among Indonesia, Malaysia, and the British-protected sultanate of Brunei. 290,000 sq. mi. (750,000 sq. km).

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Borneo British  

/ ˈbɔːnɪˌəʊ /

noun

1. an island in the W Pacific, between the Sulu and Java Seas, part of the Malay Archipelago: divided into Kalimantan ( Indonesian Borneo ), the Malaysian states of Sarawak and Sabah, and the sultanate of Brunei; mountainous and densely forested. Area: about 750 000 sq km (290 000 sq miles)

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Borneo Cultural  

1. Island in Indonesia southwest of the Philippines and north of Java.

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The third-largest island in the world, Borneo is mostly covered by dense jungle and rain forest.

Other Word Forms

• Bornean
  adjective

Example Sentences

The fanged frogs of Borneo illustrate that the formation of new species is rarely an abrupt event.

From Science Daily • Mar. 9, 2026

After climbing expeditions to Chad and Borneo, Honnold was inspired to research environmental activism and in 2012 founded the Honnold Foundation to support solar energy projects, according to the organization’s website.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 23, 2026

Professor Erik Meijaard, managing director of Borneo Futures in Brunei, is now studying the disasters' impact on the orangutans with the help of satellite images.

From BBC • Dec. 11, 2025

They were in Tanjung Puting Reserve—now a national park—on the island of Borneo.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 30, 2025

Did they proceed to overrun that island, just as they had already overrun the big mountainous islands of Celebes, Borneo, Java, and Sumatra?

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond