Bengal
Americannoun
-
a former province in northeastern India, now divided between India and Bangladesh.
-
Bay of Bengal, a part of the Indian Ocean between India and Myanmar (Burma).
-
a raw silk from Bengal.
-
a fabric, especially one made of silk and hair.
-
a fabric, similar to muslin, with printed stripes.
noun
-
a former province of NE India, in the great deltas of the Ganges and Brahmaputra Rivers: in 1947 divided into West Bengal (belonging to India) and East Bengal (Bangladesh)
-
a wide arm of the Indian Ocean, between India and Myanmar
-
a breed of medium-large cat with a spotted or marbled coat
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.
Despite the danger, this activist claims to have saved 36 Bengal tigers from guns or traps -- and 106 local residents from the animals' jaws.
From Barron's • Apr. 28, 2026
"If we want the Sundarbans and the thousands of people dependent on it to survive, we need the Bengal tigers," he said.
From Barron's • Apr. 28, 2026
In Bengal, fish also carries layers of meaning beyond food.
From BBC • Apr. 20, 2026
West Bengal is also home to India's second-largest Muslim population, accounting for roughly 14% of the country's 172 million Muslims, according to the 2011 census.
From BBC • Apr. 12, 2026
The year Buttercup turned ten, the most beautiful woman lived in Bengal, the daughter of a successful tea merchant.
From "The Princess Bride" by William Goldman
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
