Burma

American  

[bur-muh] / ˈbɜr mə /

noun

1. a country in Southeast Asia, renamed Myanmar in 1989.

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Burma British  

/ ˈbɜːmə /

noun

1. the former official name (until 1989, though still widely used) of Myanmar

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Burma Cultural  

1. Republic in Southeast Asia, now officially known as Myanmar, bordered by Bangladesh, India, and the Bay of Bengal to the west; China to the north and northeast; Laos and Thailand to the east; and the Andaman Sea to the south. Rangoon is its capital and largest city.

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Usage

See Myanmar.

Discover More

Run by its military in the 1970s and 1980s, Burma saw its economy decline. Free elections in 1990 were won by the main opposition party, but the military government refused to relinquish its powers.

During World War II, the Allies and Japanese troops fought intense campaigns over control of the Burma Road, a vital supply link between China and India.

Under British control until 1948, it then became an independent republic.

Example Sentences

The U.K. recently enacted a policy banning student visas for four countries, including Burma, citing increasing asylum claims.

From Slate • Mar. 19, 2026

These men, and many others like them, wanted nothing less than an independent Burma.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 30, 2026

Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, won its independence in 1948 as Britain dissolved its empire after World War II.

From Barron's • Dec. 23, 2025

Donald Poole, a 101-year-old who is a veteran of the Royal Army Ordnance Corps, will march at the Cenotaph service with the Burma Star Memorial Fund.

From BBC • Nov. 9, 2025

“Somebody gimme a lead to the place. Then that Burma Jones told me to look in that cabinet under the bar.”

From "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole