Madeira

American  

[muh-deer-uh, -dair-uh, mah-de-ruh] / məˈdɪər ə, -ˈdɛər ə, mɑˈdɛ rə /

noun

1. a group of eight islands off the NW coast of Africa, part of Portugal. 308 sq. mi. (798 sq. km). Funchal.

2. the chief island of this group. 286 sq. mi. (741 sq. km).

3. (often lowercase) a rich, strong white or amber wine, resembling sherry, made there.

4. (often lowercase) a similar wine made elsewhere.

5. a river in W Brazil flowing NE to the Amazon: chief tributary of the Amazon. 2,100 miles (3,380 km) long.

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Madeira British  

/ məˈdɪərə, məˈðəirə /

noun

1. a group of volcanic islands in the N Atlantic, west of Morocco: since 1976 an autonomous region of Portugal; consists of the chief island, Madeira, Porto Santo, and the uninhabited Deserta and Selvagen Islands. Capital: Funchal. Pop: 245 012 (2001). Area: 797 sq km (311 sq miles)

2. a river in W Brazil, flowing northeast to the Amazon below Manaus. Length: 3241 km (2013 miles)

3. a rich strong fortified white wine made on Madeira

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Madeira

The islands are part of the Macaronesian group along with the Canary Islands and Madeira.

From BBC ● Jul. 3, 2026

For mains, the grilled rainbow trout with Carolina Gold rice and espelette-citrus beurre blanc was beautifully balanced, while the butternut squash agnolotti with Madeira foam and ricotta offered a rich, comforting counterpoint.

From Salon ● Jun. 11, 2026

Sussex Police said emergency teams were first called at about 05:45 BST to a report of a single person in the water near Black Rocks car park in Madeira Drive, which runs along the beachfront.

From BBC ● May 14, 2026

He was born in Guinea-Bissau in 1991 and lived in Madeira, and then Lisbon, in Portugal as a young child, before his family moved to the UK when he was 16.

From BBC ● May 14, 2026

There was warm honeyed milk for the children, and coffee and sweet Madeira wine for the adults.

From "The Unseen Guest" by Maryrose Wood