Island Definition: Explanation, Synonyms, and Practice

Define “island” and understand how to use it in various situations by looking at some of the examples below.

Learn more about the synonymous expressions that you can use instead of “island”. This will boost your active vocabulary and help you understand native speakers better.

Related nouns: coast shore beach mainland

Synonyms (contextual): none, it is a specific noun

Common collocations: tropical island desert island remote island

Discover how to say “island” in pairs with other parts of speech. Look at the examples below and try to create your own collocations.

With adjectives: small island isolated island volcanic island remote island

With verbs: visit an island explore an island discover an island live on an island

With nouns (noun + noun): island life island paradise island beach island community

“Island” meaning is understandable, so we offer you to take a look at popular phrases that contain this word. When used in these contexts, “island” gains more descriptions than just being a piece of land surrounded by water.

• No man is an island — everyone needs other people, it is hard to live completely alone without help from others and communication.

  When Sam had hard times, his friends supported him. It’s true that no man is an island.

• A desert island — a remote, uninhibited island, often used in abstract scenarios about being alone, or when people describe loneliness.

  Sarah, if you were on a desert island, what three things would you bring?

• Island hopping — means traveling from one island to another, especially as a tourist activity.

  We went island hopping in Greece and visited five different islands in just two weeks.

• Kitchen island — is a freestanding counter in the middle of a kitchen (not a real island).

  Recently, we have installed a new kitchen island where we can prepare food and eat breakfast.

• Safety island — it refers to a raised platform in the middle of the road where pedestrians can wait safely.

  Wait on a safety island before the traffic light turns green for you to cross the second half of the street.

Check how well you understand this word and its usage with our intellectual game. Go through exercises below and see if you can answer everything correctly.

Learn how to spell “island” and pronounce this word in other languages such as Spanish, German and French.

Take some rest and look through these interesting pieces of information connected to “islands”. It will boost your general knowledge and you can share it with your friends and family.

• The largest island in the world.

  Greenland, the biggest island on the planet, has an area of nearly 2.16 million square kilometers. The island is mainly made of ice with a very small population of around 56,000 people only, thus it is one of the least populated areas on Earth.

• The existence of artificial islands.

  Islands are not all natural! Dubai and Singapore are two places that have created artificial islands for various purposes including housing, tourism, and trade. The Palm Islands in Dubai, which are often referred to as palm trees due to their shape, are the most well-known man-made islands and can even be spotted from outer space.

• Some islands are currently sinking.

  Globally, low-lying islands are endangered by climate change and the rise in sea levels. The Maldives, where average elevation is only 1.5 meters above the sea, might become unsuitable for human living by the end of this century if the ocean continues to rise.

• Islands can form in unexpected ways.

  Some islands are created by volcanic activity, others by coral growth or sediment accumulation. This constant formation and erosion make islands some of the most dynamic landforms on the planet.

Phrases with “island” can have different meanings and provide various information about different things. The quotations below will serve as an example, discover what they mean by reading the explanations.