Belize

American  

[buh-leez] / bəˈliz /

noun

1. Formerly British Honduras.  a parliamentary democracy in northern Central America: a former British crown colony; gained independence 1981. 8,867 sq. mi. (22,966 sq. km). Belmopan.

2. Also called Belize City.  a seaport in and the main city of Belize.

3. a river flowing northeast through Belize to the Gulf of Honduras. 180 miles (290 km) long.

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Belize British  

/ bəˈliːz /

noun

1. Former name (until 1973): British Honduras.  a state in Central America, on the Caribbean Sea: site of a Mayan civilization until the 9th century _ad ; colonized by the British from 1638; granted internal self-government in 1964; became an independent state within the Commonwealth in 1981. Official language: English; Carib and Spanish are also spoken. Currency: Belize dollar. Capital: Belmopan. Pop: 334 297 (2013 est). Area: 22 965 sq km (8867 sq miles)

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Other Word Forms

• Belizean
  adjective

Example Sentences

The winged insects are the farm's signature butterfly and are bred at its sister farm in Belize.

From BBC • May 8, 2026

Taiwan's other allies in the Americas are Guatemala, Belize and Haiti.

From Barron's • May 8, 2026

Before this discovery, only five major tektite fields were known worldwide, located in Australasia, Central Europe, the Ivory Coast, North America, and Belize.

From Science Daily • Mar. 1, 2026

Some of my most successful table spreads have included cloudberry jam from Norway, hot sauce from Belize, Japanese matcha, paprika chips from Spain, Portuguese sardines and dukkah, an Egyptian spice mix.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 4, 2025

Grandma left Belize and came to America when she was eighteen.

From "Courage to Soar" by Simone Biles