France

[ frans, frahns; French frahns ]

noun

A·na·tole [a-na-tawl], /a naˈtɔl/, Jacques Anatole Thibault, 1844–1924, French novelist and essayist: Nobel Prize 1921.
a republic in W Europe. 212,736 sq. mi. (550,985 sq. km). Capital: Paris.

Heraldry. fleurs-de-lis or upon azure: a bordure of France.

Other words from France

anti-France, adjective
pro-France, adjective

Words Nearby France

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use France in a sentence

France 24 is providing live, round-the-clock coverage of both scenes as they progress.
LIVE Coverage of the Paris Terror Attacks | | January 9, 2015 | THE DAILY BEAST
But what is there more irresponsible than playing with the fire of an imagined civil war in the France of today?
Houellebecq’s Incendiary Novel Imagines France With a Muslim President | Pierre Assouline | January 9, 2015 | THE DAILY BEAST
Submission is set in a France seven years from now that is dominated by a Muslim president intent on imposing Islamic law.
Houellebecq’s Incendiary Novel Imagines France With a Muslim President | Pierre Assouline | January 9, 2015 | THE DAILY BEAST
France 24's coverage of two developing hostage situations in Paris on Friday.
LIVE Coverage of the Paris Terror Attacks | | January 9, 2015 | THE DAILY BEAST
Security officials told Agence France-Presse that the gas station manager said he had recognized the two men.
France Mourns—and Hunts | Nico Hines, Christopher Dickey | January 8, 2015 | THE DAILY BEAST

There was a time when Aristide Pujol, in sole charge of an automobile, went gaily scuttering over the roads of France.
The Joyous Adventures of Aristide Pujol | William J. Locke
All the Italian merchants in the realm of France, called money lenders, seized by order of Philip the fair, for their ransoms.
The Every Day Book of History and Chronology | Joel Munsell
Nogués and his brave lads have done their bit indeed for the glory of the Army of France.
Gallipoli Diary, Volume I | Ian Hamilton
After the battle of the Pyramids he fell sick, and before the Syrian expedition, applied to return to France.
Napoleon's Marshals | R. P. Dunn-Pattison
The result of this mission was eminently successful; a special treaty was drawn up and Spain sold Louisiana to France.
Napoleon's Marshals | R. P. Dunn-Pattison

British Dictionary definitions for France (1 of 2)

France¹

/ (frɑːns) /

noun

a republic in W Europe, between the English Channel, the Mediterranean, and the Atlantic: the largest country wholly in Europe; became a republic in 1793 after the French Revolution and an empire in 1804 under Napoleon; reverted to a monarchy (1815–48), followed by the Second Republic (1848–52), the Second Empire (1852–70), the Third Republic (1870–1940), and the Fourth and Fifth Republics (1946 and 1958); a member of the European Union. It is generally flat or undulating in the north and west and mountainous in the south and east. Official language: French. Religion: Roman Catholic majority. Currency: euro. Capital: Paris. Pop: 62 814 233 (2013 est). Area: (including Corsica) 551 600 sq km (212 973 sq miles): Related adjectives: French, Gallic

British Dictionary definitions for France (2 of 2)

France²

/ (French frɑ̃s) /

noun

Anatole (anatɔl), real name Anatole François Thibault . 1844–1924, French novelist, short-story writer, and critic. His works include Le Crime de Sylvestre Bonnard (1881), L'Île des Pingouins (1908), and La Révolte des anges (1914): Nobel prize for literature 1921

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 France

France

Nation in Europe bordered by Belgium and Luxembourg to the north; Germany, Switzerland, and Italy to the east; the Mediterranean Sea and Spain to the south; and the Atlantic Ocean to the west. Its capital and largest city is Paris.

Notes for France

During the reign of Louis XIV (1653–1715), France was a principal world power and cultural center of Europe.

Notes for France

The French Revolution, organized by leaders of the middle class and lower class, brought about an end to the French absolute monarchy and forged a transition from feudalism to the industrial era. A bloody and chaotic period, the Revolution helped lay the foundations of modern political philosophy and ultimately engulfed much of Europe in the Napoleonic Wars. (See Napoleon Bonaparte.)

Notes for France

In the French and Indian War in the 1750s, the British and colonial forces drove the French from Canada and the region of the Great Lakes.

Notes for France

In World War I, France was one of the Allies; much of that war was fought on French soil.

Notes for France

In World War II, France's military resistance to the German army collapsed in the spring of 1940. Germans occupied much of France from 1940 to 1944. In 1944, the Allies invaded France, along with French troops, and drove the Germans out of France, finally defeating them in 1945.

Notes for France

France is known for its wine, cheese, and cooking.

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