island

American  

[ahy-luhnd] / ˈaɪ lənd /

noun

1. a tract of land completely surrounded by water, and not large enough to be called a continent.

2. something resembling an island, especially in being isolated or having little or no direct communication with others.

3. a raised platform with a counter or other work surface on top situated in the middle area of a room, especially a kitchen, so as to permit access from all sides.

4. safety island.

5. a low concrete platform for gasoline pumps at an automotive service station.

6. a clump of woodland in a prairie.

7. an isolated hill.

8. Anatomy. an isolated portion of tissue differing in structure from the surrounding tissue.

9. Railroads. a platform or building between sets of tracks.

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verb (used with object)

1. to make into an island.

2. to dot with islands.

3. to place on an island; isolate.

island British  

/ ˈaɪlənd /

noun

1. a mass of land that is surrounded by water and is smaller than a continent

2. See traffic island

3. anatomy a part, structure, or group of cells distinct in constitution from its immediate surroundings

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verb

1. to cause to become an island

2. to intersperse with islands

3. to place on an island; insulate; isolate

island Scientific  

/ ī′lənd /

1. A land mass, especially one smaller than a continent, entirely surrounded by water.

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Other Word Forms

• island-like adjective
• islandish adjective
• islandless adjective
• islandlike adjective

Etymology

Origin of island

First recorded before 900; Middle English iland, Old English īgland, īland, variant of īegland, from īeg “island” (cognate with Old Norse ey ) + land land; spelling with -s- by association with isle

Example Sentences

Iran’s most strategically important island, Kharg, is actually hundreds of miles northwest of the strait itself.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 2, 2026

A Russian oil tanker was set to deliver the first crude shipment to Cuba since January on Tuesday after Washington gave the crisis-hit island a reprieve from an effective fuel blockade.

From Barron's • Mar. 31, 2026

The island has been feeling the effects of the blockade with most hospitals unable to function normally and schools and government offices being forced to close.

From BBC • Mar. 31, 2026

“No one could get to me, I was on an island and I didn’t know anyone,” she says.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 31, 2026

Nim asked one morning, when the island was starting to look like her home again, just with not so many trees.

From "Nim’s Island" by Wendy Orr

Related Words

• archipelago
• enclave
• isle
• islet
• peninsula
• reef