Oman

American  

[oh-mahn] / oʊˈmɑn /

noun

1. Formerly Muscat and Oman.  Sultanate of Oman, an independent sultanate in southeastern Arabia. About 82,800 sq. mi. (212,380 sq. km). Muscat.

2. Gulf of Oman, a northwestern arm of the Arabian Sea, at the entrance to the Persian Gulf.

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Oman British  

/ əʊˈmɑːn /

noun

1. Former name (until 1970): Muscat and Oman.  a sultanate in SE Arabia, on the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea: the most powerful state in Arabia in the 19th century, ruling Zanzibar, much of the Persian coast, and part of Pakistan. Official language: Arabic. Official religion: Muslim. Currency: rial. Capital: Muscat. Pop: 3 154 134 (2013 est). Area: about 306 000 sq km (118 150 sq miles)

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Oman Cultural  

1. Kingdom on the southern and eastern coasts of the Arabian Peninsula on the Arabian Sea, bordered to the northwest by the United Arab Emirates, the west by Saudi Arabia, and the southwest by Yemen. Oman includes a tip of land on one side of the Strait of Hormuz at the entrance to the Persian Gulf.

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Strategically located on trading and military routes between the Persian Gulf and Asia and east Africa, Oman has been occupied by the Portuguese, the Turks, and the Persians; since the beginning of the nineteenth century, it has maintained close relations with Britain.

Oman began exporting oil in 1967.

Example Sentences

It comes against the backdrop of tensions involving Iran, the US and Israel, which have disrupted shipping routes and increased military activity in and around the Gulf of Oman and the Strait of Hormuz.

From BBC • Jun. 9, 2026

All 24 Indian seafarers aboard a tanker that caught fire off the coast of Oman after being struck by US forces have been rescued and evacuated safely, Indian authorities said.

From BBC • Jun. 9, 2026

But in reality, only seven members -- Saudi Arabia, Russia, Iraq, Kuwait, Kazakhstan, Algeria and Oman -- have the capacity to do so.

From Barron's • Jun. 7, 2026

Oman, Kazakhstan and South Africa—before eventually being flown to Russia.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 6, 2026

Zeitoun and his shipmates knew that entering the Gulf of Oman, en route to the Persian Gulf, meant risking the wrath of Iraqi or Iranian submarines and warships.

From "Zeitoun" by Dave Eggers