Pretoria

American

[pri-tawr-ee-uh, -tohr-] / prɪˈtɔr i ə, -ˈtoʊr- /

noun

a city in and the administrative capital of the Republic of South Africa, in the NE part: also the capital of Transvaal.

Pretoria British

/ prɪˈtɔːrɪə /

noun

Also called: Tshwane. a city in N South Africa, the administrative capital of South Africa; formerly capital of Transvaal province: two universities (1873, 1930); large steelworks. Pop: 525 384 (2001)

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Pretoria Cultural

Administrative capital of South Africa. (See also Cape Town.)

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Born in Pretoria, South Africa, Musk showed his talents for entrepreneurship early, going door-to-door with his brother selling homemade chocolate Easter eggs and developing his first computer game at the age of 12.

From BBC • Jun. 4, 2026

He was arrested on Monday alongside his 18-year-old son in a sting operation at a shopping centre in Pretoria.

From BBC • Apr. 16, 2026

It was during that G20 in South Africa that French President Emmanuel Macron personally invited Ramaphosa to take part in the G7, Pretoria recalled.

From Barron's • Mar. 26, 2026

One immediate result of the Pretoria meeting was an agreement for pan-African experts to engage directly with Global Exposome Forum working groups and participate in thematic meetings worldwide.

From Science Daily • Feb. 14, 2026

It was late morning, and I was waiting for Reverend Tantsi to arrive from Pretoria, when he telephoned me at the office.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023