Lesbos

American

[lez-bos, -bohs, les-vaws] / ˈlɛz bɒs, -boʊs, ˈlɛs vɔs /

noun

Mytilene.

Lesbos British

/ ˈlɛzbɒs /

noun

Former name: Mytilene. Modern Greek name: Lésvos. an island in the E Aegean, off the NW coast of Turkey: a centre of lyric poetry, led by Alcaeus and Sappho (6th century _bc ); annexed to Greece in 1913. Chief town: Mytilene. Pop: 90 642 (2001). Area: 1630 sq km (630 sq miles)

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The verdict came almost a month after the start of their trial at a court on Lesbos, ending a legal ordeal for the activists since 2018.

From Barron's • Jan. 15, 2026

I witnessed the arrivals on Lesbos and met Paris Laoumis as he was busy helping exhausted asylum seekers near his hotel.

From BBC • Sep. 3, 2025

Sunday, sent a distress signal and shortly after disappeared about 4 1/2 nautical miles southwest of Lesbos, authorities said.

From Washington Times • Nov. 26, 2023

After insulting her way to yet another exile, Anna decamps for a commune on the Greek island of Lesbos.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 14, 2023

It was like this: “Arion had gone from his home on the island of Lesbos to Italy, and while there had made a great deal of money by his singing.”

From The Star People by Johnson, Gaylord

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023