British Isles

American  

plural noun

1. a group of islands in W Europe: Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man, and adjacent small islands. 120,592 sq. mi. (312,300 sq. km).

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British Isles British  

plural noun

1. a group of islands in W Europe, consisting of Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man, Orkney, Shetland, the Channel Islands belonging to Great Britain, and the islands adjacent to these

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British Isles Cultural  

1. The islands of Great Britain and Ireland and a number of smaller islands off their coasts.

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Example Sentences

Values in the mid-30s were once uncommon in the British Isles even at the height of summer, yet we are now on course to reach those levels before June has even begun.

From BBC • May 25, 2026

Oral traditions linked them to famine, war, and the deaths of kings throughout the British Isles.

From Science Daily • May 13, 2026

People moved back into the British Isles around 15,200 years ago after the last major ice sheet began retreating, according to new research.

From Science Daily • May 13, 2026

But the British Isles have "astonishing scenery" and "extraordinary animal dramas and wildlife spectacles to match anything I have seen on my global travels", he said.

From BBC • May 8, 2026

As he galloped across the British Isles with the helicopters thundering above him, people stood and gaped and wondered what on earth was going on.

From "The BFG" by Roald Dahl