Thailand

American  

[tahy-land, -luhnd] / ˈtaɪˌlænd, -lənd /

noun

1. Formerly Siam.  a kingdom in SE Asia: official name of Siam 1939–45 and since 1949. 198,242 sq. mi. (513,445 sq. km). Bangkok.

2. Also called Gulf of Siam.  Gulf of. an arm of the South China Sea, S of Thailand.

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Thailand British  

/ ˈtaɪˌlænd /

noun

1. Former name (until 1939 and 1945–49): Siam.  a kingdom in SE Asia, on the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand: united as a kingdom in 1350 and became a major SE Asian power; consists chiefly of a central plain around the Chao Phraya river system, mountains rising over 2400 m (8000 ft) in the northwest, and rainforest the length of the S peninsula. Parts of the SW coast suffered badly in the Indian Ocean tsunami of December 2004. Official language: Thai. Official religion: (Hinayana) Buddhist. Currency: baht. Capital: Bangkok. Pop: 67 448 120 (2013 est). Area: 513 998 sq km (198 455 sq miles)

2. Former name: Gulf of Siam.  an arm of the South China Sea between the Malay Peninsula and Indochina

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Thailand Cultural  

1. Constitutional monarchy in southern Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma to the west and northwest, Laos to the north and east, Cambodia to the southeast, and the Gulf of Siam (an arm of the Pacific Ocean) and Malaysia to the south. Its capital and largest city is Bangkok.

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Discover More

Strongly supported the United States during the Vietnam War, Thailand was the site of American air bases until 1976, when relations with the United States deteriorated.

During the early 1990s, its economy became one of the strongest in Asia, but it experienced a sharp downturn in the mid-1990s.

Thailand was formerly called Siam.

Example Sentences

The Bank of Thailand kept interest rates on hold and raised the country’s economic growth forecast for 2026 to 2.3%.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 24, 2026

Australia’s inflation data will also be closely watched for signals on its central bank’s policy path, while the Bank of Thailand is expected to hold rates steady.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 19, 2026

"What is considered garbage for them can still be useful in Thailand," 36-year-old Lookpoo Sathitpanyapon, who runs a Facebook store selling toy keychains, told AFP.

From Barron's • Jun. 17, 2026

He fled to Thailand in 1997 and spent years working as a journalist, later writing for publications such as the New York Times and Foreign Policy.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 13, 2026

She then escaped, and in 2009 found her way out of North Korea to South Korea, via China, Laos, and Thailand.

From "Escape from Camp 14: One Man's Remarkable Odyssey from North Korea to Freedom in the West" by Blaine Harden