Indies

American  

[in-deez] / ˈɪn diz /

noun

1. (used with a plural verb) the Indies. West Indies.

2. (used with a plural verb) East Indies.

3. (used with a singular verb) a region in and near southern and southeastern Asia; India, Indochina, and the East Indies.

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Indies British  

/ ˈɪndɪz /

noun

1. the territories of S and SE Asia included in the East Indies, India, and Indochina

2. See East Indies

3. See West Indies

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Example Sentences

In all, millions of African captives were shipped to the West Indies and Brazil, many times the number taken to British North America.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026

Plantation slavery was perfected in the West Indies, notably on the sugar islands of British Barbados and present-day Haiti, where the system proved immensely profitable.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026

The great stories of exploration and trade and imperial rivalry are here, from the Phoenician sailors who plied the ancient Mediterranean to the 17th-century Dutch who traded in the East Indies.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 17, 2026

Samson was again supreme, backing up his 97 not out against West Indies and 89 against England with another innings that mixed flair with a classical technique.

From BBC • Mar. 8, 2026

We’ll sail south to the Canaries, then west to the West Indies, and then north to Virginia.

From "Blood on the River" by Elisa Carbone