Netherlands
Americannoun
noun
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Also called: Holland. Dutch name: Nederland. a kingdom in NW Europe, on the North Sea: declared independence from Spain in 1581 as the United Provinces; became a major maritime and commercial power in the 17th century, gaining many overseas possessions; formed the Benelux customs union with Belgium and Luxembourg in 1948 and was a founder member of the Common Market, now the European Union. It is mostly flat and low-lying, with about 40 per cent of the land being below sea level, much of it on polders protected by dykes. Official language: Dutch. Religion: Christian majority, Protestant and Roman Catholic, large nonreligious minority. Currency: euro. Capital: Amsterdam, with the seat of government at The Hague. Pop: 16 805 037 (2013 est). Area: 41 526 sq km (16 033 sq miles)
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the kingdom of the Netherlands together with the Flemish-speaking part of Belgium, esp as ruled by Spain and Austria before 1581; the Low Countries
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Example Sentences
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The Constitutional Council's ruling will see France join the Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland and Canada, which have already legalised the practice.
From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026
Colbert was third, with 1:55.81, in the women's 200m freestyle final as she finished behind winner Barbora Seemanova, who set a championship record of 1:54.38, with Marrit Steenbergen of the Netherlands second in 1:54.65.
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026
Looking further ahead, RWE has flagged capacity auctions for more than 10 gigawatts due in Germany and the Netherlands that have not been baked into its 2031 guidance, the analysts say.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
Great Britain's Keely Hodgkinson wins her 800m semi-final leading home Femke Broeders-Bol of the Netherlands.
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026
The Netherlands and nearby Belgium are known for their great art masters and their reverence for painting.
From "Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers" by Deborah Heiligman
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.
