Cotonou

American

[koh-tuh-noo] / ˌkoʊ təˈnu /

noun

a seaport in SE Benin.

Cotonou British

/ ˌkəʊtəˈnuː /

noun

the chief port and official capital of Benin, on the Bight of Benin. Pop: 891 000 (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.

From the airport lounge to roundabouts dotting Benin's economic capital Cotonou, images of his smiling face framed by his round glasses have been prominent for weeks.

From Barron's • Apr. 14, 2026

Later that morning, France sent a plane to fly Issa and Gomina to Cotonou.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 12, 2026

And this seems to have had popular support in Cotonou.

From BBC • Dec. 9, 2025

Paulin Hountondji, a philosopher from Benin whose critique of colonial-era anthropology helped transform African intellectual life, died on Feb. 2 at his home in Cotonou, Benin’s largest city.

From New York Times • Mar. 19, 2024

His cook, an elegant man from Cotonou, made a groundnut stew that she loved.

From "Americanah" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

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