Austria

American  

[aw-stree-uh] / ˈɔ stri ə /

noun

1. a republic in central Europe. 32,381 sq. mi. (83,865 sq. km). Vienna.

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Austria British  

/ ˈɒstrɪə /

noun

1. German name: Österreich.  a republic in central Europe: ruled by the Hapsburgs from 1282 to 1918; formed a dual monarchy with Hungary in 1867 and became a republic in 1919; a member of the European Union; contains part of the Alps, the Danube basin in the east, and extensive forests. Official language: German. Religion: Roman Catholic majority. Currency: euro. Capital: Vienna. Pop: 8 221 646 (2013 est). Area: 83 849 sq km (32 374 sq miles)

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Austria Cultural  

1. Mountainous republic in central Europe, bordered by Germany and the former Czechoslovakia to the north, Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the west. Its capital and largest city is Vienna.

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Discover More

The picturesque Tyrol region, in the western part of the country, is a favorite year-round tourist spot.

Under the Hapsburg dynasty (1278–1918), Austria maintained control of the Holy Roman Empire and became a leading player in European politics.

Austria was occupied by Nazi forces in 1938 and annexed by Adolf Hitler to Germany. It was reestablished as a republic in 1945 but remained occupied by four Allied powers until it declared neutrality in 1955.

After losing control of the German portions of the Holy Roman Empire in the nineteenth century, Austria joined with Hungary to create the Austro-Hungarian Empire (1867–1918). Allied with Germany, Bulgaria, and Turkey in World War I, the Austro-Hungarian Empire was devastated by the war.

Other Word Forms

• Austrian adjective
• anti-Austria adjective
• anti-Austrian adjective
• pro-Austrian adjective
• pseudo-Austrian adjective
• trans-Austrian adjective
• un-Austrian adjective

Example Sentences

Royal guard member Maria DeSilva, left, stands by Anna of Austria, the queen of Spain, and her sister Elisabeth of Austria as they read their Bibles together.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 10, 2026

France, Austria and Spain are among a growing number of nations pursuing similar curbs.

From BBC • Apr. 8, 2026

Austria will hold a bond auction on Tuesday, Portugal on Wednesday, Spain on Thursday and Italy on Friday.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026

Austria announced last week it would soon ban social media for children up to the age of 14, with a plan to present a new law "as early as this summer".

From Barron's • Mar. 31, 2026

When they finally met up at a TB meeting in Salzburg, Austria, they went out for a pizza dinner afterward.

From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French