Khmer
Americannoun
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a member of a people in Cambodia whose ancestors established an empire about the 5th century a.d. and who reached their zenith during the 9th to the 12th centuries when they dominated most of Indochina.
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an Austroasiatic language that is the official language of Cambodia.
noun
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a member of a people of Cambodia, noted for a civilization that flourished from about 800 ad to about 1370, remarkable for its architecture
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the language of this people, belonging to the Mon-Khmer family: the official language of Cambodia
adjective
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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.
Khmer classical dance, performed to traditional music, is renowned for its graceful hand gestures and stunning costumes, and has a 1,000-year history.
From Barron's • Dec. 31, 2025
Penh Yom, 78, survived by hiding her profession, and after the Khmer Rouge-run Democratic Kampuchea fell in 1979, she regrouped with a small troupe of dancers to revive the form.
From Barron's • Dec. 31, 2025
In Cambodian cities, signs in English and Khmer proclaim its desire for peace – one echoed by almost every Cambodian you meet.
From BBC • Dec. 18, 2025
The lotus-filled reservoirs and half-eroded temples of Angkor, capital of the Khmer empire from the ninth through the early 15th century, dominate the global image of Cambodian art.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 10, 2025
“I know this Khmer Rouge soldier!” she screams.
From "First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers" by Loung Ung
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.
