French West Indies

American  

plural noun

1. the French islands in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies, including Martinique and Guadeloupe and the five dependencies of Guadeloupe: administered as two overseas departments. 1,114 sq. mi. (2,885 sq. km).

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French West Indies British  

plural noun

1. various islands in the Lesser Antilles, administered by France; chiefly Guadeloupe, Martinique, Saint-Barthélemy and the French part of Saint Martin. Pop: 838 000 (2004 est). Area: 2792 sq km (1077 sq miles)

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Example Sentences

French lawmakers on Tuesday recognised the state's partial responsibility in allowing a toxic pesticide to be used in the French West Indies despite health warnings, inflicting long-term harm on the islands and their people.

From Barron's • Jun. 2, 2026

In one memorable passage on the French West Indies, he writes:

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026

The bacteria were first spotted in 2009 by Olivier Gros, a biologist at the University of the French West Indies and Guiana, while collecting underwater samples in Guadeloupe, a French island group in the Caribbean.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 23, 2022

She stood at the bedroom door of "a hotel in Martinique in the French West Indies" – the Warner Bros lot in Hollywood – looked up, and asked Humphrey Bogart for a match.

From The Guardian • Aug. 12, 2014

Consequently, American vessels, plying their lucrative trade with the French West Indies, were seized and condemned by British West India prize courts.

From The Wars Between England and America by Smith, T. C.