Borneo

American  

[bawr-nee-oh] / ˈbɔr niˌoʊ /

noun

1. an island in the Malay Archipelago, politically divided among Indonesia, Malaysia, and the British-protected sultanate of Brunei. 290,000 sq. mi. (750,000 sq. km).

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Borneo British  

/ ˈbɔːnɪˌəʊ /

noun

1. an island in the W Pacific, between the Sulu and Java Seas, part of the Malay Archipelago: divided into Kalimantan ( Indonesian Borneo ), the Malaysian states of Sarawak and Sabah, and the sultanate of Brunei; mountainous and densely forested. Area: about 750 000 sq km (290 000 sq miles)

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Borneo Cultural  

1. Island in Indonesia southwest of the Philippines and north of Java.

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Discover More

The third-largest island in the world, Borneo is mostly covered by dense jungle and rain forest.

Other Word Forms

• Bornean
  adjective

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Borneo

Indonesia has been battling fires for weeks in parts of Borneo and Sumatra, sending suffocating haze across the islands and neighbouring Malaysia and Singapore.

From Barron's ● Sep. 26, 2026

Indonesia has carried out several rounds of cloud-seeding operations in recent weeks, some conducted together with members of Japan's Self-Defense Forces who arrived in Borneo earlier this month to help with firefighting efforts.

From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2026

In Indonesia, the Dutch moved to cripple industry ahead of the Japanese advance, targeting oil wells on Sumatra and Borneo, road and rail networks on Java, and infrastructure on rubber plantations.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026

Wildfires ravaging the Indonesian part of Borneo island are choking communities as far away as Malaysia with putrid haze, testing the resources and resolve of those having to endure them.

From Barron's ● Sep. 8, 2026

It originated in Borneo, where it inhabits dense jungle.

From "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" by J.K. Rowling