is

1 of 4

present tense third-person singular of be

dialectal present tense first-person and third-person singular of be

dialectal present tense plural of be

is

2 of 4

abbreviation (1)

island; isle

IS

3 of 4

abbreviation (2)

information system

is-

4 of 4

combining form

variants or iso-
1
: equal : homogeneous : uniform
isentropic
2
: isomeric
isocyanate
3
: for or from different individuals of the same species
isoagglutinin

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Old English; akin to Old High German ist is (from sīn to be), Latin est (from esse to be), Greek esti (from einai to be)

Combining form

Late Latin, from Greek, from isos equal

Dictionary Entries Near is

Cite this Entry

“Is.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/is. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

is

1 of 2

present 3rd singular of be

is-

2 of 2 combining form
variants or iso-
: equal : uniform
isobar
Etymology

Combining form

derived from Greek isos "equal"

More from Merriam-Webster on is

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!