Australia

American  

[aw-streyl-yuh] / ɔˈstreɪl yə /

noun

1. a continent southeast of Asia, between the Indian and Pacific Oceans. 2,948,366 square miles (7,636,270 square kilometers).

2. Commonwealth of Australia, a member of the Commonwealth of Nations, consisting of the federated states and territories of Australia and Tasmania. 2,974,581 square miles (7,704,165 square kilometers). Canberra.

---

Australia British  

/ ɒˈstreɪlɪə /

noun

1. a country and the smallest continent, situated between the Indian Ocean and the Pacific: a former British colony, now an independent member of the Commonwealth, constitutional links with Britain formally abolished in 1986; consists chiefly of a low plateau, mostly arid in the west, with the basin of the Murray River and the Great Dividing Range in the east and the Great Barrier Reef off the NE coast. Official language: English. Religion: Christian majority. Currency: dollar. Capital: Canberra. Pop: 23 029 674 (2013 est). Area: 7 682 300 sq km (2 966 150 sq miles)

---

Australia Cultural  

1. Nation occupying the whole of Australia, the smallest continent, between the Indian Ocean and the southwest Pacific Ocean. Its capital is Canberra, and its largest city is Sydney.

---

Discover More

The first settlements there were penal colonies for British convicts.

Its aboriginal tribes, which still exist today (see aborigines), are thought to have migrated from Southeast Asia twenty thousand years ago.

Compare meaning

How does australia compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• Oceania vs. Australia

Example Sentences

It may also be linked to the later separation of Antarctica and Australia and could even have played a role in that continental breakup.

From Science Daily • Jun. 4, 2026

Australia and New Zealand, alleged that Chinese military intelligence operatives were posing as employees of private consultancies, think tanks and human-resources firms looking to hire foreign-policy or defense analysts.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 4, 2026

The Philippines has also expanded its military co-operation with the United States, and sought new alliances with countries like Japan and Australia.

From BBC • Jun. 3, 2026

Then again against India at The Oval last summer, and against Australia in Perth, from which their Ashes campaign never recovered.

From BBC • Jun. 3, 2026

Australia will colonize the islands to its north and connect by some isthmian umbilicus to Asia.

From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson