noun
island
EYE-luhnd
noun
1
A piece of land completely surrounded by water.
"They spent their honeymoon on a small island in the Caribbean."
"The ferry runs twice a day to the island."
2
Something that is isolated or set apart, resembling an island figuratively.
"His desk was an island of calm in the chaotic office."
verb
1
To cut off or isolate, as if surrounding with water.
"The flood islanded several farmhouses for days."
How to Use Island
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA patch of land with water all around it.
Common mistake
The "s" in island is silent — it's pronounced "EYE-land," and the spelling is historically unrelated to "isle" despite looking similar.
Common pairings
a desert island
an island chain
live on an island
Word Forms
islanded past tense, islands singular
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Etymology
From Old English igland, from ieg ("island, water-land") plus land. The "s" was added in the 1500s by mistake, when spellers wrongly linked it to the unrelated French-derived word "isle."