Orkney

British

/ ˈɔːknɪ, ˈɔːknɪz /

plural noun

a group of over 70 islands off the N coast of Scotland, separated from the mainland by the Pentland Firth: constitutes an island authority of Scotland; low-lying and treeless; many important prehistoric remains. Administrative centre: Kirkwall. Pop: 19 310 (2003 est). Area: 974 sq km (376 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

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:

Orkney

But some of Scotland's most popular tourist destinations, including the Scottish Borders, Dumfries and Galloway, Orkney and Shetland have rejected any proposals.

From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026

While Orkney even considered changing its status to potentially becoming a self-governing territory of Norway although that was ultimately dropped.

From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026

It has been provided by Netsanet Sori, also known as Netsi, who moved to the island in October 2025 after spending nine years in Orkney.

From BBC ● May 31, 2026

And not only central Europe – they also spread across the English Channel and throughout Britain, extending as far north as Orkney.

From Science Daily ● May 30, 2026

Perhaps he was tired of the struggle, tired of the Orkney clique and the strange new fashions and the difficulties of love and modem justice.

From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White

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