Kolkata

American

[kol-kah-tuh] / kɒlˈkɑ tə /

noun

a seaport in and the capital of West Bengal state, in eastern India, on the Hugli River: former capital of British India.

Kolkata British

/ ˈkolkɑːtə /

noun

Former official name: Calcutta. a port in E India, capital of West Bengal state, on the Hooghly River: former capital of the country (1833–1912); major commercial and industrial centre; many universities. Pop: 4 580 544 (2001)

"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.

The cosmopolitan Chakrabarti, 60, was born in Kolkata and came to the U.S. with his family at age 2.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 13, 2026

Rubio will visit Kolkata, home to Mother Teresa and one of the oldest US consulates, as well as the world-iconic Taj Mahal in Agra and palace-filled Jaipur.

From Barron's • May 21, 2026

Born to a lower middle class family in Kolkata, Banerjee entered politics through the student wing of the Congress party.

From BBC • May 5, 2026

"The entire country has its eyes on this state's election results," political analyst Biswanath Chakraborty told AFP, in the main city Kolkata.

From Barron's • May 4, 2026

He had no desire to study in the big city of Kolkata.

From "Tiger Boy" by Mitali Perkins

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