Azores

American  

[uh-zawrz, uh-zohrz, ey-zawrz, ey-zohrz] / əˈzɔrz, əˈzoʊrz, ˈeɪ zɔrz, ˈeɪ zoʊrz /

noun

(used with a plural verb)

1. a group of islands in the N Atlantic, W of Portugal: politically part of Portugal. 890 sq. mi. (2,305 sq. km).

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Azores British  

/ əˈzɔːz /

plural noun

1. Portuguese name: Açores.  three groups of volcanic islands in the N Atlantic, since 1976 an autonomous region of Portugal. Capital: Ponta Delgada (on São Miguel). Pop: 241 762 (2001). Area: 2335 sq km (901 sq miles)

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Azores Cultural  

1. Islands in the Atlantic Ocean, west of mainland Portugal, belonging to Portugal.

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Discover More

Strategically located on transatlantic air and shipping routes.

Other Word Forms

• Azorean
  adjective
• Azorian
  adjective

Example Sentences

The Portuguese Lajes Air Base, on Terceira Island in the Azores, has served as a major logistics hub for U.S. operations and recently hosted dozens of U.S. refueling aircraft.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 23, 2026

Storm Therese was named by the Portuguese weather service earlier this week - largely because of the risk of disruption in Madeira and the Azores.

From BBC • Mar. 20, 2026

In contrast, neighbouring Portugal authorised the United States to "conditionally" use an airbase on the Azores archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean for the Iran strikes, Prime Minister Luis Montenegro told parliament on Wednesday.

From Barron's • Mar. 4, 2026

The team believes this was an early offshoot of what is now the Azores mantle plume.

From Science Daily • Feb. 23, 2026

As we have seen, the plants westward journey took it from New Guinea to India, then on to Persia, the Middle East, the Mediterranean, and the Azores, then, via Columbus, to the New World.

From "Sugar Changed the World: A Story of Magic, Spice, Slavery, Freedom, and Science" by Marc Aronson