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Bern

American  
[burn, bern] / bɜrn, bɛrn /
Or Berne

noun

  1. a city in and the capital of Switzerland, in the W part: capital of Bern canton.

  2. a canton in W Switzerland. 2,658 sq. mi. (6,885 sq. km). Bern.


Bern British  
/ bɜːn, bɛrn /

noun

  1. the capital of Switzerland, in the W part, on the Aar River: entered the Swiss confederation in 1353 and became the capital in 1848. Pop: 122 700 (2002 est)

  2. a canton of Switzerland, between the French frontier and the Bernese Alps. Capital: Bern. Pop: 950 200 (2002 est). Area: 6884 sq km (2658 sq miles)

"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

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Critics in Bern are now calling the timing and the gifts themselves deeply suspect.

From Salon

Bern estimated it would double the cost of Switzerland's current militia system, which sees army conscripts do at least four months' service before being called up repeatedly over a decade for weeks-long refresher sessions.

From Barron's

Many details of the agreement Bern struck last week to slash the levy to 15 percent, on par with the surrounding European Union, have yet to see the light of day.

From Barron's

"These results come from publicly funded trials repurposing a very old, low-cost drug for an entirely new use," says Lars Hemkens, senior author from the University of Bern, Switzerland.

From Science Daily

There’s the “cellar rat” turned sommelier who worked at Tampa’s Bern’s for over three decades.

From Los Angeles Times