Indies
Americannoun
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(used with a plural verb) the Indies. West Indies.
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(used with a plural verb) East Indies.
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(used with a singular verb) a region in and near southern and southeastern Asia; India, Indochina, and the East Indies.
noun
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the territories of S and SE Asia included in the East Indies, India, and Indochina
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See East Indies
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See West Indies
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.
The great stories of exploration and trade and imperial rivalry are here, from the Phoenician sailors who plied the ancient Mediterranean to the 17th-century Dutch who traded in the East Indies.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 17, 2026
West Indies have been stuck in Kolkata since they were eliminated from the tournament on 1 March amid travel disruption caused by the conflict across the Middle East.
From BBC • Mar. 10, 2026
The ICC has been criticised by players from West Indies and South Africa for their failure to adequately resolve the issue.
From BBC • Mar. 10, 2026
West Indies dropped two catches in their defeat by India.
From BBC • Mar. 8, 2026
But for the Enterprise of the Indies to work, for ships and crews to survive the long voyage, the Earth had to be smaller than Eratosthenes had said.
From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
