Aswan

American

[as-wahn, ahs-wahn] / ˈæs wɑn, ɑsˈwɑn /

Or Aswân,

noun

Ancient Syene. a city in southeastern Egypt, on the Nile.
a dam near this city, extending across the Nile. 6,400 feet (1,950 meters) long.

Aswan British

/ ɑːsˈwɑːn /

noun

Ancient name: Syene. an ancient town in SE Egypt, on the Nile, just below the First Cataract. Pop: 249 000 (2005 est)

"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.

Tomato production and distribution in different reaches of the Nile Valley had been affected even before the completion of the Aswan High Dam in 1970.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 24, 2025

Sudan's consulate in Aswan in southern Egypt said it had launched a campaign to warn of the dangers associated with people smuggling.

From BBC • Feb. 27, 2024

Their last meeting in the city of Aswan in Egypt in November ended in a stalemate.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 4, 2023

She often recalled a performance by the Cairo Ballet in Aswan, a city on the Nile River.

From New York Times • Jun. 20, 2023

A boy who looked like he was my age told me his uncle took a piece of fruit that did not belong to him and was sentenced to five years of hard labor in Aswan.

From "The (Mostly) True Story of Cleopatra's Needle" by Dan Gutman

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