Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com

Bosporus

American  
[bos-per-uhs] / ˈbɒs pər əs /
Also Bosphorus

noun

  1. a strait connecting the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara. 18 miles (29 km) long.


Bosporus British  
/ ˈbɒspərəs, ˈbɒsfərəs /

noun

  1. a strait between European and Asian Turkey, linking the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara

"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

Bosporus Cultural  
  1. Strait separating the European and Asian portions of Turkey. The Bosporus is a link between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean Sea.


Discover More

It is an important shipping route for Russia, whose northern routes are mostly blocked by ice in winter, and for other nations that border the Black Sea or use any of the many major rivers that flow into it.

Other Word Forms

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.

See Examples For:

The Bosporus, a major waterway in Turkey for commodities including Russian oil exported from the Black Sea, has been open for commercial traffic throughout most of the war in Ukraine.

From The Wall Street Journal Nov. 28, 2025

Together with the Bosporus Strait, it serves as a vital route for commercial shipping between Europe and Asia.

From BBC Aug. 8, 2025

Home to some 16 million people and straddling the Bosporus between Europe and Asia, Istanbul generates much of Turkey’s economic output.

From New York Times Mar. 31, 2024

On Saturday, authorities at the Bulgarian port of Varna did not confirm whether the Anna-Theresa will enter the port or will continue to the Bosporus Strait.

From Washington Times Sep. 2, 2023

In October the Porte, encouraged by the presence of the British fleet in the Bosporus, took the bold step of summoning the Russians to evacuate the principalities.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 9, Slice 5 English History by Various

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Dictionary.com's Learning Companion

Go beyond just looking up words.
Remember them forever with VocabTrainer.

Start training