West Indies
Americannoun
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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.
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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.
noun
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It is a popular resort area.
Several of the islands were discovered by Christopher Columbus in 1492.
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
French lawmakers on Tuesday recognised the state's partial responsibility in allowing a toxic pesticide to be used in the French West Indies despite health warnings, inflicting long-term harm on the islands and their people.
From Barron's • Jun. 2, 2026
Surrey's Fisher, 28, was called into the Ashes squad and could add to the one Test cap he won against West Indies in 2022.
From BBC • May 13, 2026
He missed all three Tests on the tour of West Indies in 2022 because of the back injury.
From BBC • May 13, 2026
In one memorable passage on the French West Indies, he writes:
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026
Dr. Devèze had not only seen and treated yellow fever while living in the West Indies, he had contracted it twice.
From "An American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793" by Jim Murphy
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.
