Sulawesi

American

[soo-lah-wey-see] / ˌsu lɑˈweɪ si /

noun

an island in central Indonesia. 72,986 sq. mi. (189,034 sq. km).

Sulawesi British

/ ˌsuːləˈweɪsɪ /

noun

Also called: Celebes. an island in E Indonesia: mountainous and forested, with volcanoes and hot springs. Pop: 14 946 488 (2000). Area (including adjacent islands): 229 108 sq km (88 440 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.

It is significantly older than another Sulawesi painting identified by the same team in 2024.

From Science Daily • Mar. 22, 2026

One is a northern route through Sulawesi and the 'Spice Islands' toward New Guinea.

From Science Daily • Mar. 22, 2026

The ship's latest mission focuses on a seamount chain off Indonesia's Sulawesi island that scientists on board mapped last year.

From Barron's • Jan. 26, 2026

Until this latest discovery on Muna, all the paintings in Sulawesi had come from the Maros Pangkep karst in the island's south west.

From BBC • Jan. 21, 2026

The Indonesian Air Transport turboprop plane lost contact with the air traffic controller on Saturday afternoon while en route from Yogyakarta to the city of Makassar in Sulawesi Island.

From Barron's • Jan. 18, 2026

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