Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com

Shetland

British  
/ ˈʃɛtlənd /

noun

  1. Also called: Shetland Islands. Official name (until 1974): Zetland. a group of about 100 islands (fewer than 20 inhabited), off the N coast of Scotland, which constitute an island authority of Scotland: a Norse dependency from the 8th century until 1472; noted for the breeding of Shetland ponies, knitwear manufacturing, and fishing; oil-related industries. Administrative centre: Lerwick. Pop: 21 870 (2003 est). Area: 1426 sq km (550 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:

The flight he boarded in Glasgow was filled with journalists - but most were heading north to cover the Chinook helicopter disaster in Shetland in which 43 people died.

From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2026

Situated 80 miles north-west of Shetland, Rosebank is thought to contain between 300 million to 500 million barrels of oil.

From BBC ● Nov. 4, 2026

In 2022, Shetland was cut off from the mainland after a nearby subsea cable was damaged.

From BBC ● Nov. 2, 2026

He pointed to waters off Shetland as an area of significant Russian activity.

From BBC ● Nov. 2, 2026

My daughter Kathleen tells me it’s an obsession, that I should write about a little girl who finds a million dollars and spends it all on a Shetland pony.

From "The Things They Carried" by Tim O'Brien

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

Get a word

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Look it up. Learn it forever.

Remember new words for good with VocabTrainer. Expand your vocabulary effortlessly with personalized learning tools that adapt to your goals.

Take me to Vocabulary.com