Hormuz

American

[hawr-mooz, hawr-muhz] / hɔrˈmuz, ˈhɔr mʌz /

noun

Strait of, a strait between Iran and the United Arab Emirates, connecting the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman.

Hormuz British

/ ˈhɔːmʌz, hɔːˈmuːz /

noun

an island off the SE coast of Iran, in the Strait of Hormuz : ruins of the ancient city of Hormuz, a major trading centre in the Middle Ages. Area: about 41 sq km (16 sq miles)

"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

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.

Most have been stuck on board more than a month, because fewer than 200 ships have managed to slip through the Strait of Hormuz.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 5, 2026

The Strait of Hormuz is a crucial shipping chokepoint for Persian Gulf energy exports, other chemicals like ozone, and fertilizer.

From Barron's • Apr. 4, 2026

A small number of vessels have passed through the Strait of Hormuz in recent days.

From BBC • Apr. 4, 2026

Well, there’s an energy price spike domestically and a severe one for countries more reliant on oil passing through the Strait of Hormuz.

From Slate • Apr. 4, 2026

About 1060, Mohammed I. Dirhem Kub, from Yemen, became master of Hormuz, but his successors remained in the dependency of the sovereigns of Kermán until 1249, when Rokn ed-Din Mahmud III.

From The Travels of Marco Polo — Volume 2 by Yule, Henry

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023