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West Indies

American  

noun

  1. Also called the Indies(used with a plural verb) an archipelago in the northern Atlantic between North and South America, comprising the Greater Antilles, the Lesser Antilles, and the Bahamas.

  2. Also called West Indies Federation(used with a singular verb) Federation of the West Indies. a former federation (1958–62) of the British islands in the Caribbean, comprising Barbados, Jamaica, Trinidad, Tobago, and the Windward and Leeward island colonies.


West Indies British  
/ ˈɪndɪz /

noun

  1. Also called: the Caribbean.  an archipelago off Central America, extending over 2400 km (1500 miles) in an arc from the peninsula of Florida to Venezuela, separating the Caribbean Sea from the Atlantic Ocean: consists of the Greater Antilles, the Lesser Antilles, and the Bahamas; largest island is Cuba. Area: over 235 000 sq km (91 000 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

West Indies Cultural  
  1. Archipelago between North America and South America curving from southern Florida to Venezuela.


Discover More

It is a popular resort area.

Several of the islands were discovered by Christopher Columbus in 1492.

Other Word Forms

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.

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West Indies all-rounder Justin Greaves took five wickets without conceding a run in an incredible spell of bowling on day three of the first Test against Pakistan.

From BBC Jul. 27, 2026

Though not as successful a skipper as player, he was West Indies captain between 1965 and 1972.

From BBC Jul. 17, 2026

The form of West Indies, in 10th, suggests McCullum's men will squeeze in without having to go through a qualifying tournament.

From BBC Jul. 14, 2026

Three years later, Shantha Rangaswamy of Bengaluru captained India in their first officially recognised international series, a six-Test contest against West Indies.

From BBC Jul. 14, 2026

As a result, ships built and manned in Spain itself were able to sail to the West Indies; there was nothing equivalent to the Greenland bottleneck that had throttled Norse colonization.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

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