Greece

American  

[grees] / gris /

noun

1. Ancient Greek Hellas.  Modern Greek Ellas.  a republic in southern Europe at the south end of the Balkan Peninsula. 50,147 sq. mi. (129,880 sq. km). Athens.

2. a city in western New York State, a suburb of Rochester on the south shore of Lake Ontario.

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Greece British  

/ ɡriːs /

noun

1. Modern Greek name: Ellás.  a republic in SE Europe, occupying the S part of the Balkan Peninsula and many islands in the Ionian and Aegean Seas; site of two of Europe's earliest civilizations (the Minoan and Mycenaean); in the classical era divided into many small independent city-states, the most important being Athens and Sparta; part of the Roman and Byzantine Empires; passed under Turkish rule in the late Middle Ages; became an independent kingdom in 1827; taken over by a military junta (1967–74); the monarchy was abolished in 1973; became a republic in 1975; a member of the European Union. Official language: Greek. Official religion: Eastern (Greek) Orthodox. Currency: euro. Capital: Athens. Pop: 10 772 967 (2013 est). Area: 131 944 sq km (50 944 sq miles)

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Greece Cultural  

1. Republic in southeastern Europe on the southern part of the Balkan Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Athens (see also Athens).

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Discover More

Greece is a member of NATO.

It is known for its production of grapes, olives, and olive oil.

Ancient Greek culture, particularly as developed in Athens, was the principal source of Western civilization.

Tension and fighting between Greece and Turkey has continued for hundreds of years.

Compare meaning

How does greece compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• Macedonia vs. Greece

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Greece

She and Undergaro, who began dating in 1998, tied the knot during a live New Year’s Eve television broadcast in 2017 before celebrating with a second wedding in Greece the following year.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 23, 2026

They included a nearly $45,000 roundtrip airfare to Greece and almost $97,000 in roundtrip flights to Fiji where de Becker owns a compound.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026

A group of 24 players will be available against the Netherlands in Amsterdam on 24 September and at home to Greece in Augsburg three days later.

From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026

In the European sovereign-debt crises of 2011-12, the stock markets of the affected countries — Portugal, Ireland, Italy, Spain and Greece — fell by 50%.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 15, 2026

Antiochus came into Greece, sent there by the Aetolians to drive out the Romans.

From "The Prince" by Niccolò Machiavelli