: a low island or reef of sand or coral

Examples of cay in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Long Bay Beach, Providenciales, Turks & Caicos No, the island of Provo—the traveler’s gateway to Turks and Caicos’s 40-odd islands and cays—isn’t undiscovered by any stretch of the imagination. Kristin Braswell, AFAR Media, 14 Aug. 2025 Offshore, cays drift in dreamy isolation—their edges kissed by foamy surf and dotted with nesting Brown Pelicans. Lewis Nunn, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2025 It can be reached via water taxi or private catamaran (around 20 minutes) and is one of the cays that make up La Cordillera Nature Reserve. Nicole Kliest, Vogue, 27 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for cay

Word History

Etymology

Spanish cayo — more at key

First Known Use

1707, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of cay was in 1707

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Cite this Entry

“Cay.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cay. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.

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