Orange Free State

American  

[awr-inj free steyt, or-] / ˈɔr ɪndʒ ˈfri ˌsteɪt, ˈɒr- /

noun

1. a province in central Republic of South Africa: a Boer republic 1854–1900; a British colony Orange River Colony 1900–10. 49,647 sq. mi. (128,586 sq. km). Bloemfontein.

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Orange Free State British  

noun

1. a former province of central South Africa, between the Orange and Vaal rivers: settled by Boers in 1836 after the Great Trek; annexed by Britain in 1848; became a province of South Africa in 1910; replaced in 1994 by the new province of Free State; economy based on agriculture and mineral resources (esp gold and uranium). Capital: Bloemfontein

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Example Sentences

Cronje was appointed Orange Free State captain aged 21 and the batting all-rounder soon became a part of the post-apartheid South Africa team which re-emerged on the international stage.

From BBC • Jul. 30, 2025

They established two independent republics, the Transvaal Republic and the Orange Free State, and left the Cape Colony to the British.

From Textbooks • Dec. 14, 2022

Robert O’Brien, a relatively junior official appointed to the top White House post on Wednesday, went to the University of the Orange Free State under the South African apartheid system.

From The Guardian • Sep. 24, 2019

André Phillipus Brink was born May 29, 1935, in Vrede, a small community in the Orange Free State, then an independent state within the borders of South Africa.

From Washington Post • Feb. 14, 2015

The drive to the Orange Free State from Johannesburg used to take several hours, and I set out on my journey from Orlando at 3 A.M., which has always been my favorite hour for departure.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela