Definition of the West Indies noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary


the West Indies

BrE BrE//ˌwest ˈɪndɪz//
; NAmE NAmE//ˌwest ˈɪndɪz//
; BrE BrE//ˌwest ˈɪndiːz//
; NAmE NAmE//ˌwest ˈɪndiːz//
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several groups of islands between the Caribbean and the Atlantic, that include the Antilles and the Bahamas Culture The islands lie between the south coast of the US and the north coast of South America, forming a line which encloses the Caribbean Sea. There are about 1 200 islands in all. They include Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, Dominica, St Lucia, Barbados, Grenada, and Trinidad and Tobago. Many of the islands in the West Indies formerly belonged to Britain and are now members of the Commonwealth