Panama

[ pan-uh-mah, -maw ]

noun
  1. a republic in southern Central America. 28,575 square miles (74,010 square kilometers).

  2. Also called Panama City . a city in and the capital of Panama, at the Pacific end of the Panama Canal.

  1. Isth·mus of Pan·a·ma [is-muhsuhv pan-uh-mah, -maw], /ˈɪs məs əv ˈpæn əˌmɑ, -ˌmɔ/, an isthmus between North and South America.: Formerly Isthmus of Darien .

  2. Gulf of Pan·a·ma [guhlfuhv pan-uh-mah, -maw], /ˈgʌlf əv ˈpæn əˌmɑ, -ˌmɔ/, the portion of the Pacific Ocean in the bend of the Isthmus of Panama.

  3. Sometimes pan·a·ma . Panama hat.

  • Also Pa·na·má [Spanish pah-nah-mah] /Spanish ˌpɑ nɑˈmɑ/ (for defs. 1, 2).

Other words from Panama

  • an·ti-Pan·a·ma, adjective
  • Pan·a·ma·ni·an [pan-uh-mey-nee-uhn, -mah-], /ˌpæn əˈmeɪ ni ən, -ˈmɑ-/, adjective, noun
  • Pan·am·ic [pa-nam-ik], /pæˈnæm ɪk/, adjective
  • pro-Pan·a·ma, adjective
  • pseu·do-Pan·a·ma·ni·an, adjective, noun
  • trans-Pan·a·ma·ni·an, adjective

Words Nearby Panama

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use Panama in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for Panama

Panama

/ (ˌpænəˈmɑː, ˈpænəˌmɑː) /


noun
  1. a republic in Central America, occupying the Isthmus of Panama: gained independence from Spain in 1821 and joined Greater Colombia; became independent in 1903, with the immediate area around the canal forming the Canal Zone under US jurisdiction; Panama assumed sovereignty over the Canal Zone in 1979 and full control in 1999. Official language: Spanish; English is also widely spoken. Religion: Roman Catholic majority. Currency: balboa. Capital: Panama City. Pop: 3 559 408 (2013 est). Area: 75 650 sq km (29 201 sq miles)

  2. Isthmus of Panama an isthmus linking North and South America, between the Pacific and the Caribbean. Length: 676 km (420 miles). Width (at its narrowest point): 50 km (31 miles): Former name: Darien, Isthmus of Darien

  1. Gulf of Panama a wide inlet of the Pacific in Panama

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

Cultural definitions for Panama

Panama

Republic on the Isthmus of Panama, which connects Central America and South America, bordered by Costa Rica to the west, and Colombia to the east. Its capital and largest city is Panama City.

Notes for Panama

Backed by the United States, which wanted to negotiate a treaty to build a canal connecting the Atlantic Ocean and Pacific Ocean, Panama revolted against Colombia, of which it was a part, and declared itself independent in 1903.

Notes for Panama

The United States built the Panama Canal from 1904 to 1914, and American relations with Panama long were shaped by the U.S. presence in the Canal Zone, which divides the country.

Notes for Panama

In 1989, the United States invaded Panama and forcibly removed its leader, Manuel Noriega, to the United States, where he was tried and convicted for drug trafficking. (See also Panama Canal.)

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.