Shetland

British

/ ˈʃɛtlənd /

noun

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.

A second company has signed an agreement to launch a rocket from SaxaVord Spaceport in Shetland this year.

From BBC • Mar. 20, 2026

Fair Isle lies half way between Orkney and Shetland and is famed for its knitwear and as a haven for thousands of seabirds.

From BBC • Mar. 14, 2026

It can be reached by sea or air from mainland Shetland.

From BBC • Mar. 14, 2026

They examined wildlife at 10 sites across the South Shetland Islands, the northern Weddell Sea, and the Antarctic Peninsula.

From Science Daily • Feb. 12, 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

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