Robinson Crusoe

American  

[kroo-soh] / ˈkru soʊ /

noun

1. (in a novel by Defoe) a mariner of York who is shipwrecked and lives adventurously for years on a small island.

2. (italics) the novel itself (1719).

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Robinson Crusoe British  

noun

1. the hero of Daniel Defoe's novel Robinson Crusoe (1719), who survived being shipwrecked on a desert island

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Robinson Crusoe Cultural  

1. (1719) A novel by the English author Daniel Defoe. Robinson Crusoe, an English sailor, is shipwrecked and cast ashore alone on an uninhabited island. With great ingenuity and energy, Crusoe sets out to civilize his surroundings: he clothes himself, grows crops, and builds and furnishes a house. Eventually, he has the company of his servant, Friday, a man he has saved from cannibals. Crusoe is finally rescued after spending twenty-eight years on the island.

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Robinson Crusoe has come to symbolize a person who has the strength and resourcefulness to thrive in isolation.

Example Sentences

He conceived the social experiment based on a combination of his curiosity about people, the influence of “Lord of the Flies” and “Robinson Crusoe,” and his boarding school experience.

From Los Angeles Times

As Dad said, the only man who got his work done by Friday was Robinson Crusoe.

From Literature

When the seasoned diplomat found himself in the midst of a hazardous voyage in 1784, he might well have compared himself to the marooned Robinson Crusoe.

From The Wall Street Journal

On the way to Othello they could hop on poor Robinson Crusoe for not saying ‘Mr. Friday’ on the island.”

From The Wall Street Journal

“Would you care to check out a book before you go? Robinson Crusoe, perhaps?” the librarian called after her.

From Literature