Robinson Crusoe

[ kroo-soh ]

noun

1. (in a novel by Defoe) a mariner of York who is shipwrecked and lives adventurously for years on a small island.
2. (italics) the novel itself (1719).

Robinson Crusoe

noun

1. the hero of Daniel Defoe's novel Robinson Crusoe (1719), who survived being shipwrecked on a desert island

Robinson Crusoe

1. (1719) A novel by the English author Daniel Defoe. Robinson Crusoe, an English sailor, is shipwrecked and cast ashore alone on an uninhabited island. With great ingenuity and energy, Crusoe sets out to civilize his surroundings: he clothes himself, grows crops, and builds and furnishes a house. Eventually, he has the company of his servant, Friday , a man he has saved from cannibals. Crusoe is finally rescued after spending twenty-eight years on the island.

Notes

Robinson Crusoe has come to symbolize a person who has the strength and resourcefulness to thrive in isolation.

Example Sentences

“I believe my son is still on the flight, that he’s still around. Or he is living on a remote island like Robinson Crusoe,” Li said, in a reference to his son’s favorite book.

From Seattle Times

Damien and one of the daughters travel to visit a woman in a wonderful, ramshackle jungle farm — one part Robinson Crusoe and two parts Dr. Seuss.

From Seattle Times

Perhaps it’s because, despite having no arms, he’s like a darling Robinson Crusoe in the gigantic wilderness of a human’s house.

From Los Angeles Times

Its editor wrote, “There is no doubt but the article was manufactured in this country, and that it belongs to the same school as Robinson Crusoe and Gulliver’s Travels.”

From Washington Post

When it was his turn to read novels out loud, he liked The Swiss Family Robinson and Robinson Crusoe, stories about people shipwrecked on islands and learning how to survive.

From Literature