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Syria

American  
[seer-ee-uh] / ˈsɪər i ə /

noun

  1. Official Name Syrian Arab Republic.  a republic in SW Asia at the E end of the Mediterranean. 71,227 sq. mi. (184,478 sq. km). Damascus.

  2. a territory mandated to France in 1922, including the present republics of Syria and Lebanon (Latakia and Jebel ed Druz were incorporated into Syria 1942): the French mandatory powers were nominally terminated as of January 1, 1944.

  3. an ancient country in W Asia, including the present Syria, Lebanon, Israel, and adjacent areas: a part of the Roman Empire 64 b.c.–a.d.


Syria British  
/ ˈsɪrɪə /

noun

  1. a republic in W Asia, on the Mediterranean: ruled by the Ottoman Turks (1516–1918); made a French mandate in 1920; became independent in 1944; joined Egypt in the United Arab Republic (1958–61). Hafez al-Assad elected president in 1971 following a coup; after his death in 2000 Assad's son Bashar took over the presidency; his rule was challenged (from 2012) by an uprising that led to a civil war. Official language: Arabic. Religion: Muslim majority. Currency: Syrian pound. Capital: Damascus. Pop: 22 457 336 (2013 est). Area: 185 180 sq km (71 498 sq miles)

  2. (formerly) the region between the Mediterranean, the Euphrates, the Taurus, and the Arabian Desert

"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

Syria Cultural  
  1. Republic in the Middle East, bordered by Turkey to the northwest, north, and northeast; Iraq to the east and south; Jordan to the south; and Israel, the Mediterranean Sea, and Lebanon to the west. Its capital and largest city is Damascus.


Discover More

Syria was established from former Ottoman Empire territory in 1920 but dominated by France until the 1940s. It is extremely hostile toward Israel.

In the Six-Day War, in 1967, Israeli troops dislodged Syrian forces from the Golan Heights, which overlook Israeli territory.

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.

The problem is that Saudi Arabia and the UAE are engaged in a fierce rivalry for influence across the Arab world, including countries such as Yemen and Syria, as well as Sudan.

From BBC

TEL AVIV—An Israeli military raid in a village in southern Syria erupted into deadly clashes early Friday, deepening a rift between the two neighbors as Israel moves to secure its northern borders.

From The Wall Street Journal

After a large influx of refugees into Sweden in 2015, many of whom were from Syria, successive left- and right-wing governments have tightened asylum and migration rules.

From Barron's

Roughly a dozen counties, including El Salvador, Lebanon and Syria, are under temporary protected status designations, according to DHS’s website, though some are also slated to expire soon.

From The Wall Street Journal

Syria's Christian community has shrunk from around one million people before the war to fewer than 300,000 due to waves of displacement and emigration, experts say.

From Barron's