Ceylon
Britishnoun
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the former name (until 1972) of Sri Lanka
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an island in the Indian Ocean, off the SE coast of India: consists politically of the republic of Sri Lanka. Area: 64 644 sq km (24 959 sq miles)
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.
"We hope to achieve a 15 to 20 percent reduction in fuel consumption with the latest increase," an official at the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation said.
From Barron's • Mar. 22, 2026
Cassia cinnamon contains up to 1% of coumarin, and the Ceylon variety contains much less, 0.004%.
From Salon • Oct. 10, 2024
George Maxwell Alagiah was born in Colombo, Sri Lanka - then called Ceylon - on 22 November 1955, before his family moved to Ghana in the wake of ethnic unrest.
From BBC • Nov. 7, 2023
Ceylon was changed to Sri Lanka in 1972.
From Seattle Times • Sep. 7, 2023
“I think I shall trade, also,” said he, putting his thumbs in his waist-coat pockets, “to the West Indies, for sugar, tobacco, and rum. Also to Ceylon, especially for elephants’ tusks.”
From "Great Expectations" by Charles Dickens
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
