Bengal

[ ben-gawl, -gahl, beng-; ben-guhl, beng- ]

/ bɛnˈgɔl, -ˈgɑl, bɛŋ-; ˈbɛn gəl, ˈbɛŋ- /

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noun

a former province in northeastern India, now divided between India and Bangladesh.Compare East Bengal, West Bengal.

Bay of Bengal, a part of the Indian Ocean between India and Myanmar (Burma).

a raw silk from Bengal.

a fabric, especially one made of silk and hair.

a fabric, similar to muslin, with printed stripes.

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Words nearby Bengal

benevolent, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, benevolent sexism, Benfleet, Beng., Bengal, Bengal catechu, Bengalee, Bengalese, Bengali, bengaline

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use Bengal in a sentence

In next-door Bengal, which borders Bangladesh and is home to nearly 25 million Muslims, the BJP has been promising an Assam-like citizenship verification drive if it comes to power in the state.
Is India Headed for an Anti-Muslim Genocide?|Debasish Roy Chowdhury|October 4, 2021|Time
Outnumbered five to one in Britain, Scots made up 60 percent of the merchants in Bengal, Calcutta and Madras.
Scotland’s ‘Yes’ Campaign and the Myth of Scottish Equality|Noah Caldwell|September 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A highlight was the lone feline gender-bender: a brown male Bengal wearing a flared party skirt.
Kitty CATure Fashion Show, An Amazing Dog and Cat Fashion Show, Happened In New York This Weekend|Lori-Lee Emshey|September 30, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Pity the poor Zanesvillians who had to batten down the hatches to avoid being eaten by the 18 free-roaming Bengal tigers.
Lights, Camera, Cocktails|Brody Brown|October 22, 2011|DAILY BEAST

On May 20, when she is sworn in, she will have stormed a male bastion to become Bengal's first woman chief minister.
Mamata Banerjee, India's Political Superwoman|Shoma Chaudhury|May 18, 2011|DAILY BEAST
Then, as Bengal slid into internecine chaos, Banerjee raised an inspired call: "Poriborton!"
Mamata Banerjee, India's Political Superwoman|Shoma Chaudhury|May 18, 2011|DAILY BEAST
So we composed ourselves again to hear of the battle to the death between the noble missionary woman and the mighty Bengal.
The Soldier of the Valley|Nelson Lloyd
We now took the shortest line across the Bay of Bengal, and beheld land no more until we came in sight of Ceylon.
A Woman's Journey Round the World|Ida Pfeiffer
The artisans of Bengal can weave, the Chinese boatmen can row, with its aid, and it adds much to facility in climbing.
Man And His Ancestor|Charles Morris
They are found in Malabar, Siam, Bengal, and in all the countries inhabited by the elephant and rhinoceros.
Buffon's Natural History. Volume VII (of 10)|Georges Louis Leclerc de Buffon
Besides, the malbrouck and the bonnet chinois, are not the only species or breeds of monkeys which are found in Bengal.
Buffon's Natural History. Volume IX (of 10)|Georges Louis Leclerc de Buffon

British Dictionary definitions for Bengal

Bengal

/ (bɛnˈɡɔːl, bɛŋ-) /

noun

a former province of NE India, in the great deltas of the Ganges and Brahmaputra Rivers: in 1947 divided into West Bengal (belonging to India) and East Bengal (Bangladesh)

Bay of Bengal a wide arm of the Indian Ocean, between India and Myanmar

a breed of medium-large cat with a spotted or marbled coat

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