Turkmenistan

American

[turk-me-nuh-stan, -stahn] / ˌtɜrk mɛ nəˈstæn, -ˈstɑn /

noun

a republic in central in Asia, bordering the Caspian Sea, Iran, and Afghanistan. 188,417 sq. mi. (488,000 sq. km). Ashkhabad.

Turkmenistan British

/ ˌtɜːkmɛnɪˈstɑːn /

noun

a republic in central Asia: the area has been occupied by a succession of empires; a Turkmen state was established in the 15th century but suffered almost continual civil strife and was gradually conquered by Russia; in 1918 it became a Soviet republic and gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991: deserts including the Kara Kum cover most of the region; agricultural communities are concentrated around oases; there are rich mineral deposits. Official language: Turkmen. Religion: believers are mainly Muslim. Currency: manat. Capital: Ashkhabad. Pop: 5 113 040 (2013 est). Area: 488 100 sq km (186 400 sq miles)

"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

Turkmenistan Cultural

Republic in west-central Asia, bordered by Kazakhstan to the northwest, by Uzbekistan to the north and northwest, by Afghanistan and Iran to the south, and by the Caspian Sea to the west. Its capital and largest city is Ashkhabad.

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This former member of the Soviet Union declared its independence in 1991.

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.

They had departed from Russia, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 29, 2026

A former Soviet republic, Turkmenistan used to export gas exclusively to Russia until 2009, when a diplomatic spat with Moscow accelerated a pivot towards Beijing.

From Barron's • Apr. 21, 2026

Energy-rich Turkmenistan, one of the world's most reclusive and sealed-off states, has stated its desire to diversify its exports towards Europe and the Indian subcontinent.

From Barron's • Apr. 21, 2026

IS-K, the group which admitted the attack, is an offshoot of IS which seeks to establish a Muslim caliphate across Afghanistan, Pakistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Iran.

From BBC • Mar. 12, 2026

In 1998 Turkmenistan faced revenue shortfalls due to the continued lack of adequate export routes for natural gas and obligations on extensive short-term external debt.

From The 1999 CIA World Factbook by United States. Central Intelligence Agency

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