Puerto Rico

American  

[pwer-tuh ree-koh, pwer-toh, pawr-tuh, pwer-taw ree-kaw] / ˈpwɛr tə ˈri koʊ, ˈpwɛr toʊ, ˈpɔr tə, ˈpwɛr tɔ ˈri kɔ /

noun

1. an island in the central West Indies: a commonwealth associated with the U.S. 3,435 sq. mi. (8,895 sq. km). San Juan. P.R., PR

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Puerto Rico British  

/ ˈpwɛə-, ˈpwɜːtəʊ ˈriːkəʊ /

noun

1. Former name (until 1932): Porto Rico.   PR.  an autonomous commonwealth (in association with the US) occupying the smallest and easternmost of the Greater Antilles in the Caribbean: one of the most densely populated areas in the world; ceded by Spain to the US in 1899. Currency: US dollar. Capital: San Juan. Pop: 3 674 209 (2013 est). Area: 9104 sq km (3515 sq miles)

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Puerto Rico Cultural  

1. Island in the Caribbean Sea, southeast of Miami, Florida. Its capital and largest city is San Juan.

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Puerto Rico is a commonwealth of the United States. Citizens of Puerto Rico are also American citizens but do not vote in federal elections and do not pay federal taxes on their local earnings.

Other Word Forms

• Puerto Rican adjective

Example Sentences

Two people relocated to Puerto Rico, not shown.

From Los Angeles Times

Ethan Thornton said he got fixated on balloons at age 17—five years ago—after reading about a Google project that kept one over Puerto Rico for almost a year.

From The Wall Street Journal

Moments after striking out the side to send Puerto Rico to the WBC quarterfinals in 2023, Díaz sustained a season-ending knee injury.

From Los Angeles Times

Yet her presence is important just the same because it means Puerto Rico has a team here, even if it was just one person.

From Los Angeles Times

Now, it’s no longer unusual to see a team from a tropical climate competing in the Winter Games; there are 11 Caribbean and South American countries, plus Puerto Rico, competing in the Milan-Cortina Olympics.

From Los Angeles Times