Laval

American  

[luh-val, la-val] / ləˈvæl, laˈval /

noun

1. Pierre 1883–1945, French lawyer and politician: premier 1931–32, 1935–36; premier of the Vichy government 1942–44; executed for treason 1945.

2. a city in S Quebec, in E Canada, NW of Montreal, on the St. Lawrence.

3. a city in and the capital of Mayenne, in W France.

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Laval ¹ British  

/ ləˈvæl /

noun

1. a city in SE Canada, in Quebec: a NW suburb of Montreal. Pop: 343 005 (2001)

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Laval ² British  

/ laval /

noun

1. Pierre (pjɛr). 1883–1945, French statesman. He was premier of France (1931–32; 1935–36) and premier of the Vichy government (1942–44). He was executed for collaboration with Germany

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Example Sentences

Jonathan Paquin, a political science professor at Canada's Universite Laval, told AFP: "The American administration was undoubtedly presumptuous in believing it held all the cards."

From Barron's • Mar. 14, 2026

He was detained in the town of Laval, in western France, though he is from Aubervilliers, the Paris suburb that was home to the other suspected thieves.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 25, 2025

The international research team was led by the University of Exeter and included Laval and Concordia universities.

From Science Daily • Nov. 26, 2024

The family, who live in Laval, Quebec, were on the beach at a resort in Varadero on their second day of vacation when their 68-year-old father suffered from an apparent cardiac arrest.

From BBC • Apr. 23, 2024

He’s doing well at Goupil’s, and he's now living in a new apartment, at 25 Rue Laval in Montmartre.

From "Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers" by Deborah Heiligman