plural isles
: island
Pacific isles
Steering with due course toward the isle of Rhodes …—
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare
especially
: a small island : islet
I once lived on the … island of Antiparos, a tiny isle behind Paros. —Emily Prager
Emily Prager Islay is a small Hebridean isle, some 25 miles in length, with a population of less than 4,000, yet it boasts eight of the oldest and most famous distilleries in Scotland. —Henry Shukman
Henry Shukman
isled; isling
Synonyms
Examples of isle in a Sentence
Noun
the Australian seas are rife with uninhabited isles
Recent Examples on the WebJames Powel, USA TODAY, 22 July 2024
Take the winding path through the beach in low tide (or a boat in high tide, when the isle is entirely cut off from the mainland) and climb up to the 12th-century castle that sits at its peak for sweeping views across the bay.
—Radhika Seth, Vogue, 16 July 2024
Corfu and the Ionian Islands, Greece These mountainous isles off the coast of Greece and Albania are known for their unspoiled nature reserves and picturesque, culture-rich towns such as Lefkada and Fiskardo, where travelers can visit 14th-century castles and wander the bustling marinas.
—Susmita Baral, Travel + Leisure, 9 July 2024
On Wednesday, July 17, King Charles and Buckingham Palace led the tributes to the Queen on her special day by sharing a sweet photo of the royal posing on a balcony during their trip to the isle of Guernsey the day before.
—Becca Longmire, Peoplemag, 17 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for isle 
Noun
William Hill and fellow U.K. bookmaker Bet 365 both have the race handicapped at -200 for Trump and +200 for Harris in the first full day of business after Biden's decision was announced just after 6:45 p.m. on the British isle.
—James Powel, USA TODAY, 22 July 2024
Take the winding path through the beach in low tide (or a boat in high tide, when the isle is entirely cut off from the mainland) and climb up to the 12th-century castle that sits at its peak for sweeping views across the bay.
—Radhika Seth, Vogue, 16 July 2024
Corfu and the Ionian Islands, Greece These mountainous isles off the coast of Greece and Albania are known for their unspoiled nature reserves and picturesque, culture-rich towns such as Lefkada and Fiskardo, where travelers can visit 14th-century castles and wander the bustling marinas.
—Susmita Baral, Travel + Leisure, 9 July 2024
On Wednesday, July 17, King Charles and Buckingham Palace led the tributes to the Queen on her special day by sharing a sweet photo of the royal posing on a balcony during their trip to the isle of Guernsey the day before.
—Becca Longmire, Peoplemag, 17 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for isle
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'isle.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near isle
Cite this Entry
“Isle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/isle. Accessed 19 Aug. 2024.
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