West Indies
- (used with a plural verb) Also called the Indies. an archipelago in the N Atlantic between North and South America, comprising the Greater Antilles, the Lesser Antilles, and the Bahamas.
- (used with a singular verb) Federation of. Also called West Indies Federation. a former federation (1958–62) of the British islands in the Caribbean, comprising Barbados, Jamaica, Trinidad, Tobago, and the Windward and Leeward island colonies.
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Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for west indies
Historical Examples
They would not leave us the West-Indies, although useless to them.
Diary in America, Series TwoFrederick Marryat (AKA Captain Marryat)
Answer to a mistaken opinion, that the warmth of the climate in the West-Indies, will not permit white people to labour there.
She was in the West-Indies, and the yellow fever had broken out on board.
The Story of the Atlantic TelegraphHenry M. (Henry Martyn) Field
I have been very badly used in the West-Indies, but I go any where with you, to the end of the world.'
The Adopted DaughterElizabeth Sandham
This gentleman resided for many years in the West-Indies, in the clerical office.
West Indies
- 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)Also called: the Caribbean
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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
Archipelago between North America and South America curving from southern Florida to Venezuela.
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Note
It is a popular resort area.
Note
Several of the islands were discovered by Christopher Columbus in 1492.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.