An island is a piece of land that is completely surrounded by water.
...a wonderful day trip to the picturesque island of Gozo.
We spent a day on Caldey Island.
...the Canary Islands.
Synonyms: isle, inch [Scottish, Irish], atoll, holm [dialect] More Synonyms of island
island in British English
(ˈaɪlənd)
noun
1.
a mass of land that is surrounded by water and is smaller than a continent
2. traffic island
3. anatomy
a part, structure, or group of cells distinct in constitution from its immediate surroundings
▶ Related adjective: insular
verb(transitive) rare
4.
to cause to become an island
5.
to intersperse with islands
6.
to place on an island; insulate; isolate
Derived forms
island-like (ˈisland-ˌlike)
adjective
Word origin
Old English īgland, from īg island + land; s inserted through influence of isle
island in American English
(ˈaɪlənd)
noun
1.
a land mass not as large as a continent, surrounded by water
2.
anything like an island in position or isolation
; specif.,
a.
a structure above the flight deck of an aircraft carrier containing the bridge, radar, etc.
b.
a counter which stands alone as in the central area of a kitchen
c.
any of the elevated areas of a service station, having a bank of gasoline pumps
a self-service island
3.
a.
traffic island
b.
safety island
see also safety zone
4. Anatomy
a tissue or cluster of cells differing from surrounding tissue in formation, etc.
verb transitive
5.
to make into or like an island; isolate
6.
to intersperse with or as with islands
a prairie islanded with wooded tracts
Word origin
< ME iland (respelled by assoc. with unrelated isle) < OE igland, iegland, lit., island land & ealand, lit., water land < ig, ieg, isle (akin to Ger aue, ON ey < PGmc *aujo, akin to *ahwo) & ea, water < PGmc *ahwo, water < IE *akwa > L aqua: see land
It’s a beautiful part of the island but has not been sampled well over time.
Smithsonian Insider (2017)
It is highly unlikely that the island will become habitable for overnight tourists in the near future.
Smithsonian Mag (2017)
Hell is deserted islands and bullies.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The terrified pair cancelled a planned yachting trip round the Greek islands.
The Sun (2016)
We live on a small island, after all.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The rest of the cruise continued to tick off fabulous Greek islands.
The Sun (2016)
I held the view that desert islands were potentially hazardous places.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
I was thinking of a resort on one of the smaller Caribbean islands.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
I had to stay on the island for three days until there was a direct flight back to London.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Here's a fabulous little inn at a cracking price on one of our favourite Caribbean islands.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
When does an island become a continent?
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
The blast caused a landslide that collapsed the western part of the island.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
The island is a place where residents leave their cars and homes unlocked.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
The voyage ended with a huge party on a small island.
Aldiss, Brian Somewhere East of Life (1994)
What are your five desert island staples?
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
We stayed overnight in port so there was time to see the islands on day two.
The Sun (2014)
No place on the island was safe.
Max Hastings Nemesis: The Battle for Japan, 194445 (2007)
Such islands have become a symbol to nationalists in the countries involved.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
They come without baggage to interrupt the daydream of a desert island.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
These days the island is encouraging a richer crowd.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
Here we discover why the idyllic islands are perfect places to live for these creatures.
The Sun (2012)
Designers on this small island of ours are at the top of their game and envied and admired throughout the world.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
She had booked a hotel and flight to a Greek island.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
To which group of islands does Lanzarote belong?
The Sun (2014)
And he owned property on a Greek island.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
What is this purportedly critical part of the island nation's tale?
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
This eastern part of the island is known as Avalon.
Richard Fortey THE EARTH: An Intimate History (2004)
A local conflict in a small group of islands a long way away about which we knew very little.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
They formed a big queue at security but made it to their huge villa in the Canary island and yesterday soaked up the sun.
The Sun (2013)
Spend your summer holiday relaxing on the beautiful Caribbean island of Barbados.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
But with the finish line on the Caribbean island of Antigua in sight yesterday they ran aground.
The Sun (2010)
What's wrong with wanting to buy a small Greek island?
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
When the island becomes toxic and carnivorous, Pi is forced to flee.
The Times Literary Supplement (2013)
One of his favourite anecdotes was about the summer in the 1970s when he was holidaying on a Caribbean island.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
In other languages
island
British English: island /ˈaɪlənd/ NOUN
An island is a piece of land that is completely surrounded by water.
...a remote island.
American English: island
Arabic: جَزِيرَةٌ
Brazilian Portuguese: ilha
Chinese: 岛屿
Croatian: otok
Czech: ostrov
Danish: ø
Dutch: eiland
European Spanish: isla
Finnish: saari
French: île
German: Insel
Greek: νησί
Italian: isola
Japanese: 島
Korean: 섬
Norwegian: øy
Polish: wyspa
European Portuguese: ilha
Romanian: insulă
Russian: остров
Latin American Spanish: isla
Swedish: ö
Thai: เกาะ
Turkish: ada
Ukrainian: острів
Vietnamese: đảo trên biển
All related terms of 'island'
heat island
the mass of air over a large city, characteristically having a slightly higher average temperature than that of the surrounding air
Holy Island
an island off the NE coast of Northumberland , linked to the mainland by road but accessible only at low water: site of a monastery founded by St Aidan in 635
ice island
a tabular iceberg in the arctic region
island arc
an arc-shaped chain of islands, such as the Aleutian Islands or the Japanese Islands, usually lying at the edge of a Benioff zone , indicating volcanic activity where the oceanic lithosphere is descending into the earth's interior
Long Island
an island in SE New York State, separated from the S shore of Connecticut by Long Island Sound (an arm of the Atlantic ): contains the New York City boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens in the west, many resorts ( notably Coney Island), and two large airports ( La Guardia and John F . Kennedy ). Area: 4462 sq km (1723 sq miles)
Pig Island
New Zealand
Ross Island
an island in the W Ross Sea: contains the active volcano Mount Erebus
Spud Island
an island in the Gulf of St Lawrence that constitutes the smallest Canadian province. Capital: Charlottetown . Pop: 140 204 (2011 est). Area: 5656 sq km (2184 sq miles)
tiny island
An island is a piece of land that is completely surrounded by water.
Wake Island
an atoll in the N central Pacific: claimed by the US in 1899; developed as a civil and naval air station in the late 1930s. Area: 8 sq km (3 sq miles)
Achill Island
an island in the Republic of Ireland , off the W coast of Co Mayo . Area: 148 sq km (57 sq miles). Pop: 2620 (2002)
Baffin Island
the largest island of the Canadian Arctic , between Greenland and Hudson Bay . Area: 476 560 sq km (184 000 sq miles)
Banks Island
an island of N Canada , in the Northwest Territories : the westernmost island of the Arctic Archipelago . Area: about 67 340 sq km (26 000 sq miles)
Chiloé Island
an island administered by Chile , off the W coast of South America in the Pacific Ocean : timber . Pop: 154 775 (2002, Chiloé province). Area: 8394 sq km (3240 sq miles)
Coney Island
an island off the S shore of Long Island, New York : site of a large amusement park
desert island
A desert island is a small tropical island, where nobody lives .
Easter Island
an isolated volcanic island in the Pacific , 3700 km (2300 miles) west of Chile , of which it is a dependency : discovered on Easter Sunday , 1722; annexed by Chile in 1888; noted for the remains of an aboriginal culture , which includes gigantic stone figures . Pop: 3791 (2002). Area: 166 sq km (64 sq miles)
Ellis Island
small, government-owned island in Upper New York Bay: former (1892-1943) examination center for immigrants seeking to enter the U.S.: 27 acres (11 hectares )
Fraser Island
an island off the south-east coast of Queensland and the largest sand island in the world; contains rainforests , heathlands , and freshwater lakes; a national park (since 1976) and a World Heritage site (since 1992). Area: 1840 sq km (710 sq miles). Pop: 194 (2011)
island nation
a country that is entirely made up of one or more islands
Kinmen Island
an island in the Taiwan Strait , off the SE coast of China : administratively part of Taiwan. Pop (with associated islets ): 80 000 (latest est). Area: 130 sq km (50 sq miles)
nearby island
An island is a piece of land that is completely surrounded by water.
North Island
the northernmost of the two main islands of New Zealand . Pop: 3 422 000 (2013 est). Area: 114 729 sq km (44 297 sq miles)
Ocean Island
an island in the SW Pacific , in the Republic of Kiribati . Phosphates were mined by the British (1900–79). Area: about 5 sq km (2 sq miles). Pop: 301 (2005)
remote island
An island is a piece of land that is completely surrounded by water.
Rhode Island
a state of the northeastern US, bordering on the Atlantic : the smallest state in the US; mainly low-lying and undulating , with an indented coastline in the east and uplands in the northwest . Capital: Providence . Pop: 1 076 164 (2003 est). Area: 2717 sq km (1049 sq miles)
Robben Island
a small island in South Africa , 11 km (7 miles) off the Cape Peninsula : formerly used by the South African government to house political prisoners
safety island
→ safety zone
Savage Island
an island in the S Pacific , between Tonga and the Cook Islands: annexed by New Zealand (1901); achieved full internal self-government in 1974. Chief town and port: Alofi. Pop: 1618 (2017 est). Area: 260 sq km (100 sq miles)
small island
An island is a piece of land that is completely surrounded by water.
South Island
the largest island of New Zealand , separated from the North Island by the Cook Strait . Pop: 1 048 200 (2013 est). Area: 153 947 sq km (59 439 sq miles)
Staten Island
an island in SE New York State, in New York Harbor: a borough of New York city ; heavy industry . Pop: 443 728 (2000). Area: 155 sq km (60 sq miles)
Unimak Island
an island in SW Alaska , in the Aleutian Islands. Length : 113 km (70 miles)
Baranof Island
an island off SE Alaska , in the western part of the Alexander Archipelago . Area: 4162 sq km (1607 sq miles)
barrier island
a long island, parallel to the coastline , formed from a ridge of sand ( barrier beach ) thrown up by the waves, that serves the shore as a protective barrier against tidal waves, storms , etc.
Bedloe's Island
→ Liberty Island
Catalina Island
an island in the Pacific , off the coast of SW California : part of Los Angeles county: resort . Area: 181 sq km (70 sq miles)
Chatham Island
an island in the Pacific , in the Gal ápagos Islands. Area: 505 sq km (195 sq miles)
Devil's Island
one of the three Safety Islands , off the coast of French Guiana : formerly a leper colony , then a French penal colony from 1895 until 1938. Area: less than 2 sq km (1 sq mile )
Flinders Island
an island off the coast of NE Tasmania : the largest of the Furneaux Islands. Pop: 850 (2004 est). Area: 2077 sq km (802 sq miles)
floating island
a floating mass of soil held together by vegetation
holiday island
An island is a piece of land that is completely surrounded by water.
Howland Island
a small island in the central Pacific, near the equator northwest of Phoenix Island: US airfield . Area: 2.6 sq km (1 sq mile )
idyllic island
An island is a piece of land that is completely surrounded by water.
island-hopping
the military strategy , used by the Allies in World War II, of concentrating on Japanese islands which were not well defended
island universe
→ external galaxy
Kangaroo Island
an island in the Indian Ocean , off South Australia . Area: 4350 sq km (1680 sq miles)
Liberty Island
a small island in upper New York Bay : site of the Statue of Liberty . Area: 5 hectares (12 acres )
Melville Island
a Canadian island in the Arctic Ocean , north of Victoria Island: in the Northwest Territories and Nunavut . Area: 41 865 sq km (16 164 sq miles)
Norfolk Island
an island in the S Pacific , between New Caledonia and N New Zealand : an Australian external territory ; discovered by Captain Cook in 1774; a penal settlement in early years. Capital: Kingston . Pop: 2182 (2012). Area: 36 sq km (14 sq miles)