Kuwait

American  

[koo-weyt] / kʊˈweɪt /

noun

1. a sovereign monarchy in northeastern Arabia, on the northwest coast of the Persian Gulf: formerly a British protectorate. About 8,000 sq. mi. (20,720 sq km).

2. a seaport in and the capital of the monarchy of Kuwait.

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Kuwait British  

/ kʊˈweɪt /

noun

1. a state on the NW coast of the Persian Gulf: came under British protection in 1899 and gained independence in 1961; invaded by Iraq in 1990; liberated by US-led UN forces 1991 in the Gulf War: mainly desert. The economy is dependent on oil. Official language: Arabic. Official religion: Muslim. Currency: dinar. Capital: Kuwait. Pop: 2 695 316 (2013 est). Area: 24 280 sq km (9375 sq miles)

2. the capital of Kuwait: a port on the Persian Gulf. Pop: 1 225 000 (2005 est)

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Kuwait Cultural  

1. Independent kingdom on the northeastern part of the Arabian Peninsula, at the head of the Persian Gulf, bordered by Iraq to the north and west and Saudi Arabia to the south.

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A major petroleum producer, Kuwait possesses about one-fifth of the world's oil reserves. It is a leading member of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).

In 1990, Kuwait was invaded by Iraq; in 1991, Iraqi forces were expelled by a coalition of United Nations forces led by the United States. (See also Persian Gulf War.)

Other Word Forms

• anti-Kuwait
  adjective
• pro-Kuwait
  adjective

Example Sentences

Kuwait was heavily targeted due to the presence of U.S. bases.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 9, 2026

In March, Shaikh Nawaf Al-Sabah, the CEO of Kuwait Petroleum Corporation, told a Houston energy conference that some production would likely take months to restore.

From Barron's • May 6, 2026

Along with Qatar, damage has also been reported in Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

From BBC • May 6, 2026

Kuwait, for instance, didn’t export any barrels of crude in April, for the first time since the 1990 Gulf war, according to the ship-monitoring company TankerTrackers.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 3, 2026

They had just brought Kuwaiti oil to Japan, and were returning to Kuwait for more.

From "Zeitoun" by Dave Eggers