isle

1 of 2

noun

ˈī(-ə)l 

plural isles

: island

Pacific isles

Steering with due course toward the isle of Rhodes …

—William Shakespeare

especially : a small island : islet

I once lived on the … island of Antiparos, a tiny isle behind Paros.

—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

isle

2 of 2

verb

isled; isling

transitive verb

1

: to make an isle of

2

: to place on or as if on an isle

Synonyms of isle

Noun

• island

Examples of isle in a Sentence

Noun

the Australian seas are rife with uninhabited isles

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

On March 19, 2022, São Jorge Island—a volcanic isle in Portugal’s Azores archipelago—started shaking. —Robin George Andrews, Scientific American, 23 Apr. 2026

The Best Wildlife Cruises Around the World From Arctic ice to equatorial isles, these wildlife cruises bring you face to face with the planet’s most extraordinary creatures. —Hannah Towey, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Apr. 2026

Lovely vistas unfold at every turn on the isle that’s tucked between the Atlantic Ocean and Currituck Sound. —Lisa Cericola, Southern Living, 17 Apr. 2026

The Greek isles have a rhythm all their own and the best Mykonos Airbnbs are some of the finest ways to soak in all of that otherworldly seaside beauty for yourself. —Bailey Berg, Architectural Digest, 16 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Anglo-French ile, isle, from Latin insula

First Known Use

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1590, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for isle

• aisle
• bile
• chyle
• file
• guile
• heil
• kyle
• mile
• pile
• rile
• smile
• stile

Kids Definition

isle

noun

ˈī(ə)l

: island sense 1

especially : islet

Etymology

Noun

from early French isle "isle, island," from Latin insula "island" — related to insulate, isolate, peninsula