Cuba
Americannoun
noun
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The sinking of the United States battleship Maine in Havana harbor led to the Spanish-American War in 1898.
In 1961, under the administration of John F. Kennedy, American-trained Cuban exiles attempted to invade Cuba, landing at the Bay of Pigs, only to be easily defeated by Castro's forces. The Kennedy administration was sharply criticized for the Bay of Pigs fiasco.
In 1980, Cuban refugees began pouring into the United States when Castro allowed free emigration.
Fidel Castro took control of the Cuban government in 1959. The United States broke off relations with Cuba in 1961, after Castro exhibited strong left-wing leanings, established a system of military justice, and confiscated American investments in banks, industries, and land. Cuba then formed a close attachment to the Soviet Union.
The collapse of communism in eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union has left Cuba as one of the last communist states.
The Cuban missile crisis of 1962 occurred as a result of a Soviet buildup of medium-range missiles (capable of striking targets in the United States) in Cuba.
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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.
Petro is spending his last days in office on a visit to Cuba and has so far not commented on the attack.
From Barron's ● Aug. 1, 2026
Amid a de-facto US fuel embargo, daily life in Cuba has been upended by rolling blackouts, water cuts and acute shortages of food and medicine.
From Barron's ● Jul. 29, 2026
We’re protective of what the world sees Cuba as, whether it’s the old ladies smoking cigars, or the American cause.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
Born in the northern state of Haryana, she grew up in Bhiwani, a city synonymous with Indian boxing and widely nicknamed the country's 'Mini Cuba'.
From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026
“I was in Cuba for that one,” said Isabel.
From "Two Degrees" by Alan Gratz
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.