Gibraltar

American  

[ji-brawl-ter] / dʒɪˈbrɔl tər /

noun

1. a British crown colony comprising a fortress and seaport located on a narrow promontory near the southern tip of Spain. 1.875 sq. mi. (5 sq. km).

2. Rock of Gibraltar.

   1. Ancient Calpe.  a long, precipitous mountain nearly coextensive with this colony: one of the Pillars of Hercules. 1,396 feet (426 meters) high; 2.5 miles (4 kilometers) long.

   2. any person or thing that has strength and endurance that can be relied on.

3. Strait of Gibraltar, a strait between Europe and Africa at the Atlantic entrance to the Mediterranean Sea. 8.5–23 miles (14–37 kilometers) wide.

4. any impregnable fortress or stronghold.

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Gibraltar British  

/ dʒɪˈbrɔːltə /

noun

1. Ancient name: Calpe.  a city on the Rock of Gibraltar, a limestone promontory at the tip of S Spain: settled by Moors in 711 and taken by Spain in 1462; ceded to Britain in 1713; a British crown colony (1830–1969), still politically associated with Britain; a naval and air base of strategic importance. Pop: 29 111 (2013 est). Area: 6.5 sq km (2.5 sq miles)

2. a narrow strait between the S tip of Spain and the NW tip of Africa, linking the Mediterranean with the Atlantic

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Gibraltar Cultural  

1. A colony of Britain on the southern coast of Spain.

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Discover More

Its seeming impregnability as a fortress during several wars led to the saying: “solid as the Rock of Gibraltar.”

Spain has protested British control of Gibraltar, but the dispute has remained unsettled for years.

Location of an important military base; strategically significant because it can be used to keep ships from entering or leaving the Mediterranean Sea.

Located on the Rock of Gibraltar, a huge limestone mass.

Other Word Forms

• Gibraltarian
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of Gibraltar

First recorded in 1570–80; from Arabic jabal ṭāriq “Mountain of Tariq,” named after Tariq ibn Ziyad, who led the Omayyad conquest of Spain beginning in 711

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Gibraltar

A couple returning from a trip to Gibraltar were planning to get a train home to Clitheroe, Lancashire, after landing at Manchester Airport.

From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026

The seven-square mile enclave on a peninsula jutting into the Strait of Gibraltar has been Spanish since 1580.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 2, 2026

Off a Mediterranean beach, countless shoes bobbed in the blue waters, abandoned by migrants who had swum to this slice of Spanish territory along the Strait of Gibraltar, just off the coast of Morocco.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 2, 2026

Ceuta, on Morocco's northern coast, is separated from mainland Spain by the Strait of Gibraltar and has long been a focal point for migrants attempting to reach Europe.

From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026

Maybe I should have gotten off in Gibraltar, when I had the chance.

From "The (Mostly) True Story of Cleopatra's Needle" by Dan Gutman