Greece

American  

[grees] / gris /

noun

1. Ancient Greek Hellas.  Modern Greek Ellas.  a republic in southern Europe at the south end of the Balkan Peninsula. 50,147 sq. mi. (129,880 sq. km). Athens.

2. a city in western New York State, a suburb of Rochester on the south shore of Lake Ontario.

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Greece British  

/ ɡriːs /

noun

1. Modern Greek name: Ellás.  a republic in SE Europe, occupying the S part of the Balkan Peninsula and many islands in the Ionian and Aegean Seas; site of two of Europe's earliest civilizations (the Minoan and Mycenaean); in the classical era divided into many small independent city-states, the most important being Athens and Sparta; part of the Roman and Byzantine Empires; passed under Turkish rule in the late Middle Ages; became an independent kingdom in 1827; taken over by a military junta (1967–74); the monarchy was abolished in 1973; became a republic in 1975; a member of the European Union. Official language: Greek. Official religion: Eastern (Greek) Orthodox. Currency: euro. Capital: Athens. Pop: 10 772 967 (2013 est). Area: 131 944 sq km (50 944 sq miles)

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Greece Cultural  

1. Republic in southeastern Europe on the southern part of the Balkan Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Athens (see also Athens).

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Discover More

Greece is a member of NATO.

It is known for its production of grapes, olives, and olive oil.

Ancient Greek culture, particularly as developed in Athens, was the principal source of Western civilization.

Tension and fighting between Greece and Turkey has continued for hundreds of years.

Compare meaning

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

• Macedonia vs. Greece

Example Sentences

The "jobby performances" - McGinn's words - in beating Greece and Belarus hardly set the pulses racing, but Scotland got what they needed from those games.

From BBC • Jun. 14, 2026

Yet, at the end of the day, such imperial highhandedness backfired on Athens: It lost the broader war for domination of Greece.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 10, 2026

On "beaches in Spain and Italy and Greece and Bulgaria, boats and men arrive," he said.

From Barron's • Jun. 6, 2026

Cuban music lovers inaugurated a Beatles film festival, with fans in Italy, Russia and Greece finding their own ways for commemorating The Beatles’ special place in their lives.

From Salon • Jun. 4, 2026

If so, they can be regarded as the ancestors of the animal divinities, and their half-human, half-animal cousins we shall meet throughout the Near East and Greece.

From "History of Art, Volume 1" by H.W. Janson