Definition of "oasis" []

• A fertile or green spot in a desert or wasteland, made so by the presence of water. (noun)
• A situation or place preserved from surrounding unpleasantness; a refuge: an oasis of serenity amid chaos. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "“This is what you call an oasis,” said Tam Lin, throwing down his pack and taking out food for the picnic."
• "Inside his brick townhouse, where he composes, Glass says he has created what he calls an "oasis of tranquility.""
• "For Frankie Rosa, 22, who grew up in East Boston, the possibility of staying at what he describes as my oasis'' at Bridge Over Troubled Waters would be a big improvement over the city shelters where he bunks at night."