CAY Synonyms: 10 Similar and Opposite Words

cay

noun

Definition of cay

as in atoll

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of cay For the Bahamas, that means looking beyond Nassau’s cruise port crowds to discover what this nation of 700 islands and cays really offers. — AFAR Media, 11 May 2026 Bequia is the gateway to the 32 islands and cays that comprise the Grenadines, so a trip to the island isn't complete with taking to the seas. — Carley Rojas Avila, Travel + Leisure, 22 Apr. 2026 Raja Ampat, Indonesia Raja Ampat is an Indonesian archipelago made up of 1,500 small islands, cays, and shoals off the northwest tip of New Guinea. — Jasmine Ting, Condé Nast Traveler, 20 Mar. 2026 Cayo Falcones is a cay, or small island, off Cuba’s north coast, near Corralillo, a rural town in the Villa Clara province of Cuba. — Michelle Marchante, Miami Herald, 26 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for cay

Recent Examples of Synonyms for cay

Noun

While it was likely visited by Polynesians who crossed the Pacific on seafaring voyages, the atoll wasn't permanently inhabited.

— Lauren Sommer, NPR, 13 Oct. 2026
More than 180,000 giant tortoises roaming freely on our atoll is proof of what long-term commitment to conservation can achieve.

— Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 10 Oct. 2026

Definition of atoll

Noun

The pain is as big as the whole island and everything on it, looking behind every door, looking under every tree.

— Brian Moylan, Vulture, 14 Oct. 2026
The non-English crime drama will bring its mixture of whodunnit mystery and paradise location to the Croatian island of Brač.

— Marta Balaga, Variety, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of island

Noun

Caught in four episodes ranging from high tide in the Australian coral reef to just before dawn in the Kalahari Desert.

— John Hopewell, Variety, 7 Oct. 2026
Perhaps those most exposed to ocean changes are small developing island states which are on the frontline of sea level rise, increasingly intense cyclones, storm surges and coral reef die-offs.

— Laura Paddison, CNN Money, 30 Sep. 2026

Definition of coral reef

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caws

cay

cays

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“Cay.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cay. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of cay

noun

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