East Indies

American  

[eest in-deez] / ˈist ˈɪn diz /

plural noun

1. Also called the Indies.  SE Asia, including East Timor, India, Indonesia, and the Malay Archipelago.

2. the Malay Archipelago.

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East Indies British  

plural noun

1. the Malay Archipelago, including or excluding the Philippines

2. SE Asia in general

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Other Word Forms

• East Indian adjective
• pseudo-East Indian adjective

Example Sentences

To my question then, that would Indonesia consider letting Aceh go as well, Dewi had retorted that Indonesia was either the former Dutch East Indies or it was nothing.

From BBC

The Dutch in the East Indies and the British in India saw relationships between European women and colonised men as much more threatening than the reverse, and policed them accordingly.

From BBC

Born in what was the Dutch East Indies, she moved to the Netherlands as a teenager.

From BBC

The word was used as early as the 16th century by European travelers in the East Indies, and it may have etymological origins in Arabic, Chinese, Greek and Urdu.

From New York Times

From 1800 to 1949, Indonesia was a colony of the Netherlands known as the Dutch East Indies, and an important source of wealth, thanks to the trade in spices, precious metals and minerals.

From Reuters