Barbary States

American  

plural noun

1. the name for Morocco, Algiers, Tunis, and Tripoli when they were centers of corsair activity, c1520–1830.

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Example Sentences

Almost immediately, butcher shops and markets advertised mammoth-size products… The unveiling of the mammoth loaf occurred at a Senate-sponsored March 26 party to rally support for a naval war against the Barbary States.”

From Fox News

The occasion was the presence of a Tunisian envoy to the United States, Sidi Soliman Mellimelli, who had arrived in the country just the week before, in the midst of America’s ongoing conflict with what were then known as the Barbary States.

From Washington Post

He is described as a blackamore, which means he’s from northwest Africa, from the Barbary States.

From National Geographic

Secretary of Foreign Affairs John Jay reporting on their conversation in London with the ambassador from Tripoli regarding piracy by the Barbary States:

From The Wall Street Journal

While he did send vessels against Barbary States pirates and vowed that the nation would fight “like men” if a war was necessary, he used an array of measures, including treaties and a controversial embargo, in an effort to avoid a major military conflict.

From Time