Azores

American  

[uh-zawrz, uh-zohrz, ey-zawrz, ey-zohrz] / əˈzɔrz, əˈzoʊrz, ˈeɪ zɔrz, ˈeɪ zoʊrz /

noun

(used with a plural verb)

1. a group of islands in the N Atlantic, W of Portugal: politically part of Portugal. 890 sq. mi. (2,305 sq. km).

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Azores British  

/ əˈzɔːz /

plural noun

1. Portuguese name: Açores.  three groups of volcanic islands in the N Atlantic, since 1976 an autonomous region of Portugal. Capital: Ponta Delgada (on São Miguel). Pop: 241 762 (2001). Area: 2335 sq km (901 sq miles)

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Azores Cultural  

1. Islands in the Atlantic Ocean, west of mainland Portugal, belonging to Portugal.

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Discover More

Strategically located on transatlantic air and shipping routes.

Other Word Forms

• Azorean adjective
• Azorian adjective

Example Sentences

The Portuguese Lajes Air Base, on Terceira Island in the Azores, has served as a major logistics hub for U.S. operations and recently hosted dozens of U.S. refueling aircraft.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 23, 2026

Storm Therese was named by the Portuguese weather service earlier this week - largely because of the risk of disruption in Madeira and the Azores.

From BBC • Mar. 20, 2026

In contrast, neighbouring Portugal authorised the United States to "conditionally" use an airbase on the Azores archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean for the Iran strikes, Prime Minister Luis Montenegro told parliament on Wednesday.

From Barron's • Mar. 4, 2026

"When the plate boundary later moved further south towards the modern Azores, the formation of the King's Trough also came to a halt."

From Science Daily • Feb. 23, 2026

The four Soviet submarines cruised past the Azores, a group of islands about eight hundred miles off the coast of Portugal.

From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin