Austria

American  

[aw-stree-uh] / ˈɔ stri ə /

noun

1. a republic in central Europe. 32,381 sq. mi. (83,865 sq. km). Vienna.

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Austria British  

/ ˈɒstrɪə /

noun

1. German name: Österreich.  a republic in central Europe: ruled by the Hapsburgs from 1282 to 1918; formed a dual monarchy with Hungary in 1867 and became a republic in 1919; a member of the European Union; contains part of the Alps, the Danube basin in the east, and extensive forests. Official language: German. Religion: Roman Catholic majority. Currency: euro. Capital: Vienna. Pop: 8 221 646 (2013 est). Area: 83 849 sq km (32 374 sq miles)

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Austria Cultural  

1. Mountainous republic in central Europe, bordered by Germany and the former Czechoslovakia to the north, Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the west. Its capital and largest city is Vienna.

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The picturesque Tyrol region, in the western part of the country, is a favorite year-round tourist spot.

Under the Hapsburg dynasty (1278–1918), Austria maintained control of the Holy Roman Empire and became a leading player in European politics.

Austria was occupied by Nazi forces in 1938 and annexed by Adolf Hitler to Germany. It was reestablished as a republic in 1945 but remained occupied by four Allied powers until it declared neutrality in 1955.

After losing control of the German portions of the Holy Roman Empire in the nineteenth century, Austria joined with Hungary to create the Austro-Hungarian Empire (1867–1918). Allied with Germany, Bulgaria, and Turkey in World War I, the Austro-Hungarian Empire was devastated by the war.

Other Word Forms

• Austrian
  adjective
• anti-Austria
  adjective
• anti-Austrian
  adjective
• pro-Austrian
  adjective
• pseudo-Austrian
  adjective
• trans-Austrian
  adjective
• un-Austrian
  adjective

Example Sentences

Major financial backers Britain, France, Germany and Italy have reserved slots in the final, alongside the hosts, Austria, making up the 25 finalists.

From Barron's • May 16, 2026

The competition features no Irish entrant and national broadcaster RTÉ will not be showing events from Austria, airing a Eurovision-themed episode of sitcom Father Ted instead.

From BBC • May 15, 2026

On May 4, 1945, at Gunskirchen, a Nazi prison camp in Austria, Edith was found by U.S. soldiers in a heap of people dead or dying.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 14, 2026

Now they were getting in touch from France and Germany, Portugal and Spain, Austria and Belgium, Greece, the Netherlands and Sweden.

From BBC • May 13, 2026

We traveled by train through Czechoslovakia, arriving finally in Salzburg, Austria.

From "The Boy on the Wooden Box" by Leon Leyson