Brunei

American  

[broo-nahy, -nay] / brʊˈnaɪ, -ˈneɪ /

noun

1. a sultanate under British protection on the NW coast of Borneo: formerly a British protectorate; gained independence 1984. 2,220 sq. mi. (5,750 sq. km). Bandar Seri Begawan.

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Brunei British  

/ bruːˈnaɪ, ˈbruːnaɪ /

noun

1. a sultanate in NW Borneo, consisting of two separate areas on the South China Sea, otherwise bounded by Sarawak: controlled all of Borneo and parts of the Philippines and the Sulu Islands in the 16th century; under British protection since 1888; internally self-governing since 1971; became fully independent in 1984 as a member of the Commonwealth. The economy depends chiefly on oil and natural gas. Official language: Malay; English is also widely spoken. Religion: Muslim. Currency: Brunei dollar. Capital: Bandar Seri Begawan. Pop: 415 717 (2013 est). Area: 5765 sq km (2226 sq miles)

2. the former name of Bandar Seri Begawan

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Other Word Forms

• Bruneian
  adjective

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Brunei

Most of the fires are concentrated on Borneo island, home to vast tropical jungle that Indonesia shares with Brunei and Malaysia, as well as Sumatra.

From Barron's ● Sep. 5, 2026

Indonesia shares the island of Borneo with Malaysia and Brunei.

From Barron's ● Aug. 11, 2026

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has in recent weeks made official visits to Singapore, Malaysia and Brunei, which are major regional oil suppliers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 1, 2026

Australia relies heavily on imported refined fuels and Albanese announced this week he had secured an extra 100 million litres of diesel from Brunei and South Korea.

From BBC ● Apr. 16, 2026

On March 9,1973, the journal Nature published a letter from J. Douglas, a biologist at Brunei University: It is twenty-one years since George Gey established the famous HeLa cells in culture.

From "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot