Tahiti

American  

[tuh-hee-tee, tah-] / təˈhi ti, tɑ- /

noun

1. the principal island of the Society Islands, in the southern Pacific. 402 sq. mi. (1,041 sq. km). Papeete.

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Tahiti British  

/ təˈhiːtɪ /

noun

1. an island in the S Pacific, in the Windward group of the Society Islands: the largest and most important island in French Polynesia; became a French protectorate in 1842 and a colony in 1880. Capital: Papeete. Pop: 169 674 (2002). Area: 1005 sq km (388 sq miles)

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Tahiti Cultural  

1. Largest island of French Polynesia, located in the south Pacific Ocean.

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Discover More

Attracted by the Polynesian culture and spectacular climate and scenery, both Paul Gauguin and Robert Louis Stevenson lived in Tahiti and expressed its romantic allure through their works.

Example Sentences

With her and their two sons, Whittaker lived on a sailboat for four years in the late 1990s, traveling around the Pacific with stops in Tahiti, Fiji and Australia.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 15, 2026

The study suggests this climate pattern may have helped motivate people to travel step by step farther east, including to islands such as the Cooks and Tahiti.

From Science Daily • Dec. 15, 2025

French Polynesia comprises more than 100 islands, including Tahiti.

From Barron's • Nov. 27, 2025

Who’s a newsletter got to bribe to get citizenship in Tahiti?

From Slate • Sep. 13, 2025

Darwin has hunted rheas in Patagonia, studied owls outside Buenos Aires, and scaled a waterfall in Tahiti.

From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr