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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).


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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

A total of 44 communities from across the British Isles are set to take part, with Alderney shortlisted in the coastal category.

From BBC Jul. 12, 2026

This means Jersey will be the first place in the British Isles to legalise assisted dying, which means other nations will look closely at what Jersey has done.

From BBC Jul. 9, 2026

Jersey was the first part of the British Isles to ban smacking in April 2020.

From BBC Jun. 7, 2026

Although the comet reached peak brightness on April 22, 1066, it was not visible in Brittany and the British Isles until April 24.

From Science Daily May 13, 2026

By the time Victoria was seventeen, and Tristran also, she was in all probability, he was certain, the most beautiful girl in the British Isles.

From "Stardust" by Neil Gaiman

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