Okinawa

[oh-kuh-nou-wuh, -nah-wuh; Japanese aw-kee-nah-wah]

noun

the largest of the Ryukyu Islands, in the N Pacific, SW of Japan: taken by U.S. forces April–June 1945 in the last major amphibious campaign of World War II. 544 sq. mi. (1409 sq. km).

Related formsO·ki·na·wan, adjective, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for okinawa

Contemporary Examples of okinawa

Instead, they were deployed more than 3,000 miles away, in Okinawa, Japan.
Exclusive: ‘Pro-Troop’ Charity Pays Off Tea Party Cronies Instead
Kim Barker
August 5, 2014
On ships, and on overseas bases like Okinawa, the options are even more limited.
Why These Marines Love ‘Frozen’—and Why It Matters
Aaron B. O’Connell
June 27, 2014
Not only is Paleo flipping evolution upside down, but a second retro diet for future health, the Okinawa, comes in at number six.
The Top 10 Diets of 2013 Are All Useless (Except to Book Publishers)
Kent Sepkowitz
December 29, 2013
About the only thing they had in common was being in the same U.S. Marine unit during the Battle of Okinawa in World War II.
‘Something Happened to My Head. I Couldn’t Get Focused.’
Dale Maharidge
May 26, 2013
Diamond reckons the latter as 0.14 percent of the Dani population—more than at Okinawa.
Savaging Primitives: Why Jared Diamond’s ‘The World Until Yesterday’ Is Completely Wrong
Stephen Corry
January 30, 2013

Historical Examples of okinawa

The unit which was stationed at Atsugi spent four to six weeks in Okinawa late in 1957.
Warren Commission (8 of 26): Hearings Vol. VIII (of 15)
The President's Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy
Generally speaking, they have held true of Americans in times past from Lexington to Okinawa.
The Armed Forces Officer
U. S. Department of Defense

British Dictionary definitions for okinawa

Okinawa

noun

a coral island of SW Japan, the largest of the Ryukyu Islands in the N Pacific: scene of heavy fighting in World War II; administered by the US (1945–72); agricultural. Chief town: Naha. Pop: 1 318 218 (2000). Area: 1176 sq km (454 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

Word Origin and History for okinawa

Okinawa

largest of the Ryuku island chain, Japanese, literally "rope on the sea." Related: Okinawan.

okinawa in Culture

Okinawa

[(oh-kuh-nah-wuh, oh-kuh-now-uh)]

Island in the western Pacific Ocean; part of Japan.

Note

During World War II, American forces seized the island from Japan in a particularly bloody campaign. It was returned to Japan in 1972.