is
1 Americanverb
idioms
abbreviation
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island.
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isle.
abbreviation
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Isaiah.
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island.
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isle.
abbreviation
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Also: Isa. Bible Isaiah
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Island(s) or Isle(s)
abbreviation
verb
abbreviation
combining form
Etymology
Origin of is
First recorded before 900; Middle English, Old English; cognate with Dutch is, Old Norse es, er, German, Gothic ist, Latin est, Greek estí, Old Church Slavonic jestĭ, Sanskrit asti
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.
"I had really dotted all the i's and crossed all the t's of the experiment," he said.
From Science Daily • May 18, 2026
And I don’t tend to favor biographies, because there generally are some tedious sections in the middle as the writer dots the i’s and crosses the t’s of the subject’s life.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026
“I know sometimes people feel like, why hasn’t there been more information? But again, just trying to make sure we have i’s dotted and t’s crossed.”
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 26, 2025
"Your proposal does not adequately acknowledge the multiple and significant challenges such a transaction would face from US competition law enforcement agencies," Seven & i's letter added.
From BBC • Sep. 5, 2024
CPAs, those folks who can add columns of 9s in their heads, have been advising MDs since the 1980s to dot their i’s, cross their t’s, and never accept IOUs.
From "Woe Is I" by Patricia T. O'Conner
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.