Prussia

American  

[pruhsh-uh] / ˈprʌʃ ə /

noun

1. a former state in N Europe: became a military power in the 18th century and in 1871 led the formation of the German empire; formally abolished as an administrative unit in 1947.

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Prussia British  

/ ˈprʌʃə /

noun

1. German name: Preussen.  a former German state in N and central Germany, extending from France and the Low Countries to the Baltic Sea and Poland: developed as the chief military power of the Continent, leading the North German Confederation from 1867–71, when the German Empire was established; dissolved in 1947 and divided between East and West Germany, Poland, and the former Soviet Union. Area: (in 1939) 294 081 sq km (113 545 sq miles)

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Prussia Cultural  

1. Former state in north-central Germany. At the height of its power, Prussia occupied more than half of present-day Germany, stretching from The Netherlands and Belgium in the west to Lithuania in the east.

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After Germany's defeat in World War II, Prussia was abolished as a state, and its territory was divided among East Germany, West Germany, the Soviet Union, and Poland.

During the eighteenth century, Prussia established its independence from Poland, built up a strong army, and undertook a successful conquest of north-central Europe.

In the nineteenth century, Prussia led the economic and political unification of the German states, establishing itself as the largest and most influential of these states, with Berlin as the capital of the German Empire.

Prussians are often depicted as authoritarian, militaristic, and extremely orderly, a characterization based on the unswerving obedience of their army.

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

• Prussia vs. Germany

Example Sentences

In 1880, three-quarters of all Jews in the world lived in Eastern Europe—specifically, in the territory of the former Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, partitioned a century before by Austria, Prussia and Russia.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 5, 2026

In the 1830s, however, the city, then the capital of East Prussia, was “still bathed in the amber glow of the late Enlightenment,” as Christopher Clark tells us in “A Scandal in Königsberg.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 27, 2026

And after defeat by Prussia in 1871, Republican leader Léon Gambetta said: "When in France a citizen is born, he is born a soldier."

From BBC • Nov. 27, 2025

At Netflix House Philadelphia, located inside the King of Prussia Mall, visitors explore the Eve of Outcasts Festival that falls under Wednesday’s spell where they will discover “games, mis-fortunes and horrifying surprises,” Netflix said.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 17, 2025

He cried when he told me that he was sending me away to the Kleists’ farm in East Prussia for safety.

From "Salt to the Sea" by Ruta Sepetys