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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:

Values in the mid-30s were once uncommon in the British Isles even at the height of summer.

From BBC May 27, 2026

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

The updated analysis confirmed that humans were present in the British Isles between 15,200 and 15,000 years ago.

From Science Daily May 13, 2026

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

From Science Daily May 13, 2026

If you are not familiar with Mrs Symons's books - a series running to seven volumes, each one concentrating on one region of the British Isles - I heartily recommend them.

From "The Remains of the Day" by Kazuo Ishiguro

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