Midway Islands

British  

plural noun

1. an atoll in the central Pacific, about 2100 km (1300 miles) northwest of Honolulu: annexed by the US in 1867: scene of a decisive battle (June, 1942), in which the US combined fleets destroyed Japan's carrier fleet. Pop: 40 (2013 est). Area: 5 sq km (2 sq miles)

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Example Sentences

Navy met and defeated an overwhelming force of Japanese ships and planes around the Midway Islands on June 4, 1942.

From Washington Times • Feb. 18, 2020

Near the Midway Islands, the chain takes a pronounced change in direction, from northwest-southeast for the Hawaiian Islands and to nearly north-south for the Emperor Seamounts.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2015

The Midway Islands provided a more stable path to Asian markets and a vital naval coaling station, which steamships needed in order to travel further afield.

From Textbooks • Dec. 30, 2014

The Navy's new station on the Midway Islands, first pier in the tenuous 5,860-mile water bridge between Pearl Harbor and the Philippines, was in com mission.

From Time Magazine Archive

The reports from Guam and Wake and Midway Islands are still confused, but we must be prepared for the announcement that all these three outposts have been seized.

From The Fireside Chats of Franklin Delano Roosevelt by Roosevelt, Franklin Delano