Caribbean

American  

[kar-uh-bee-uhn, kuh-rib-ee-] / ˌkær əˈbi ən, kəˈrɪb i- /

adjective

1. of or relating to the islands or region of the Caribbean Sea, or to its inhabitants.

2. of or relating to the Carib people.

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noun

1. the Caribbean Sea.

2. the Caribbean, the islands and countries of the Caribbean Sea collectively.

3. a native or inhabitant of a Caribbean country.

4. a Carib.

Caribbean British  

/ kəˈrɪbɪən, ˌkærɪˈbiːən /

adjective

1. of, or relating to, the Caribbean Sea and its islands

2. of, or relating to, the Carib or any of their languages

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noun

1. the states and islands of the Caribbean Sea, including the West Indies, when considered as a geopolitical region

2. short for the Caribbean Sea

3. a member of any of the peoples inhabiting the islands of the Caribbean Sea, such as a West Indian or a Carib

Usage

Caribbean is used as a plural noun (a candidate favored by Caribbeans ), but it's relatively rare as a singular noun (the candidate who is a Caribbean ).

Other Word Forms

• inter-Caribbean adjective

Etymology

Origin of Caribbean

First recorded in 1650–60; from New Latin Carib(b)aeus, adjective formed from New Latin plural noun Caribes, from Spanish and Portuguese singular noun caribe Carib ( def. ); cannibal ( def. ), caribe ( def. )

Example Sentences

Photos recently released in the government files show the two men spending time together in the Caribbean, including a shirtless Jarecki driving Epstein around in a golf cart.

From The Wall Street Journal

Nearly 20,000 spectators in Bayamon, on the Caribbean island of Puerto Rico, a US territory, gave the Argentine idol a standing ovation when he finally entered the game.

From Barron's

She has received the new US chief of mission in Caracas, the head of the CIA and the chief of the US military command responsible for Latin America and the Caribbean.

From Barron's

Cuba's interior ministry has in the past denounced other incursions into its territorial waters by privately owned US boats it said were engaged in smuggling Cubans from the Caribbean island to the US.

From BBC

Cuba, under a US trade embargo since 1962, has for years battled shortages of fuel, medicine and food, even before the Caribbean country of 9.6 million people lost its main oil supplier.

From Barron's