oasis

oasis — noun

1. a small spot in a desert with enough underground water for trees, crops, and som

1.nounB2
Definition

a small spot in a desert with enough underground water for trees, crops, and sometimes a small settlement to survive.

Example

After three days on camelback, the travellers reached a small oasis with date palms and a clear pool.

an oasis with [trees / water]

The Sahara has scattered oases where Berber families have farmed wheat for centuries.

plural form: oases

Common collocations
  • a desert oasis
  • a green oasis
  • reach an oasis
  • a fertile oasis
Synonyms
  • spring

    any water source; doesn't imply a desert setting

  • watering hole

    any pool where animals or travellers drink; broader than oasis

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

an oasis in [a desert / region]

Usage Note

The plural is 'oases' (pronounced /əʊˈeɪsiːz/), not 'oasises'. Often paired with 'in the desert' or a named region (the Sahara, Gobi, Arabian Peninsula).

Common Mistakes

We saw three oasises in the Sahara.
We saw three oases in the Sahara.
the plural is 'oases', following the Greek pattern.

2. a place, moment, or thing that feels calm and welcome because everything around

2.nounB2
Definition

a place, moment, or thing that feels calm and welcome because everything around it is noisy, stressful, or unpleasant — for example, a quiet garden in a busy city, or a relaxed afternoon in a hectic week.

Example

The hotel courtyard is an oasis of calm in the middle of downtown Tokyo.

an oasis of calm in [busy place]

For Marcus, Sunday morning at the kitchen table is an oasis of quiet before the kids wake up.

an oasis of quiet (a calm period of time)

Common collocations
  • an oasis of calm
  • an oasis of peace
  • an oasis of quiet
  • an oasis of sanity
  • a green oasis
Synonyms
  • haven

    a safe, welcoming place; doesn't require a noisy contrast

  • sanctuary

    stronger sense of protection from harm or pressure

  • refuge

    emphasises escape from danger or trouble more than calmness

Antonyms
  • madhouse

    informal: a chaotic, noisy place

Grammar Patterns

an oasis of [calm / peace / quiet] in/amid [something hectic]

Usage Note

Almost always 'an oasis of + [abstract noun]' (calm, peace, quiet, sanity, green) or 'an oasis in/amid + [something hectic or unpleasant]'. Distinguish from sense 1: this sense is figurative and the surrounding 'desert' is metaphorical (noise, stress, ugliness), not literal sand.

Common Mistakes

The cafe is oasis from the city.
The cafe is an oasis from the city.
needs the article 'an' and usually pairs with 'of calm / of peace' or 'in / amid' rather than 'from'.

Word family

  • oases
    noun (plural)B2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/2

All four words describe a place where someone feels safe or relaxed, but the contrast each one sets up is different. 'Oasis' demands a noisy, stressful, or ugly background — a quiet courtyard is only an oasis because the city around it is hectic. 'Haven' is the most general: a friendly, welcoming spot, with no requirement that the outside world be hostile (a tax haven, a haven for cyclists). 'Sanctuary' is stronger and more protective, often suggesting shelter from harm, pressure, or persecution; it has religious roots and can refer to wildlife reserves. 'Refuge' emphasises active escape from danger or trouble, as in 'a refuge for women fleeing violence'. So a hotel courtyard is an oasis of calm; an old library can be a haven for readers; a temple can be a sanctuary; a shelter is a refuge.

oasis ↗haven ↗sanctuary ↗refuge ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • desert oasis
  • green oasis
  • oasis of calm
  • oasis of peace
  • oasis of quiet
  • oasis of sanity

Phrases

  • a green oasis in the heart of the city
  • an oasis of calm amid the chaos

Prepositions

  • an oasis of [calm/peace/quiet]
  • an oasis in [the desert / the city]
  • an oasis amid [the noise / the chaos]

Etymology

Egyptian (Coptic)GreekLate LatinEnglish

English borrowed 'oasis' in the early 1600s from Late Latin, which had taken it from Greek 'oasis'. The Greek word in turn came from an Egyptian source — Coptic 'wahe' or 'ouahe', meaning a fertile place in the desert. The figurative sense of 'a calm spot in the middle of chaos' developed in English during the 1800s.