Colombo

American

[kuh-luhm-boh] / kəˈlʌm boʊ /

noun

a seaport in and the capital of Sri Lanka, on the W coast.

Colombo British

/ kəˈlʌmbəʊ /

noun

the capital and chief port of Sri Lanka, on the W coast, with one of the largest artificial harbours in the world. Pop: 653 000 (2005 est)

"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

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.

A 23rd monk, believed to have organised the trip, has since been arrested in a suburb of Colombo, police told BBC Sinhala.

From BBC • Apr. 27, 2026

"I didn't go to work today," says Nimal, a lawnmower operator from Colombo.

From BBC • Mar. 24, 2026

Since then, Colombo has secured a $2.9 billion IMF bailout.

From Barron's • Mar. 22, 2026

The ships were already close to Sri Lanka’s maritime border, raising concerns among some officials in Colombo, the Sri Lankan capital.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 10, 2026

Since Colombo was recently dead, and Falloppio died in 1562, the dispute had to be continued by Falloppio’s student Leone Carcano.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023