Kauai

American

[kah-oo-ah-ee, kou-ahy, kou-ahy] / ˌkɑ uˈɑ i, ˈkaʊ aɪ, kaʊˈaɪ /

Or Kaua'i

noun

an island in northwestern Hawaii. 511 sq. mi. (1,325 sq. km).

Kauai British

/ kɑːˈwɑːiː /

noun

a volcanic island in NW Hawaii, northwest of Oahu. Chief town: Lihue. Pop (Kauai county): 60 747 (2003 est). Area (island): 1433 sq km (553 sq miles)

"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

Etymology

Origin of Kauai

First recorded in 1840–50; from Hawaiian, of uncertain meaning

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.

The incident is the latest fatal crash in Kauai involving a tour helicopter.

From BBC • Mar. 27, 2026

Norris reportedly fell ill on Thursday on the Hawaiian island of Kauai.

From Barron's • Mar. 20, 2026

Peyton Koerte, 12, and Kiara Nishimura, 14, from Kauai each emerged with a signed Nacua jersey.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 19, 2025

The 1980s was another bad decade for bird loss with 20 species, including the Kauai O'o.

From Science Daily • Nov. 27, 2024

Kamehameha thereupon prepared invasions of the last independent Hawaiian island, Kauai, whose chief finally reached a negotiated settlement with him, completing the archipelago’s unification.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023