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.

See Examples For:

Kauai

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

I still remember our trip well, that crispy ahi with pineapple salsa, the rainbows in Kauai and the sweet smell of the orchids and plumeria of the leis.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 24, 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