Crimea

American  

[krahy-mee-uh, kri-] / kraɪˈmi ə, krɪ- /

noun

1. the Crimea, a peninsula in southeastern Ukraine, between the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov.

2. a former autonomous republic of the Soviet Union, later a region of Ukraine. About 10,000 sq. mi. (25,900 sq. km).

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Crimea British  

/ kraɪˈmɪə /

noun

1. Russian name: Krym.  a peninsula and autonomous region in Ukraine between the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov: a former autonomous republic of the Soviet Union (1921–45), part of the Ukrainian SSR from 1945 until 1991

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Crimea Cultural  

1. Peninsula in the extreme southern Ukraine, bordered by the Black Sea to the east, south, and west.

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Discover More

As a former part of the Russian empire, Crimea was one of the strongholds of opposition to the Soviet government after the Russian Revolution.

It was occupied by German troops from 1941 to 1945.

The Crimean War of the 1850s, fought between Russian forces and the allied armies of Britain, France, Turkey, and Sardinia, was the scene of the battle described in “The Charge of the Light Brigade.”

Other Word Forms

• Crimean adjective

Example Sentences

On Sunday, he offered a new detail, saying that the Crimea operation took place before SpaceX received a sanctions exemption approval from the U.S. government to provide connectivity in Crimea.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 2, 2026

Gen. Kyrylo Budanov, 39 years old, made a name for himself running a range of daring operations, from raids on Russian-occupied Crimea to strengthening front-line positions in places such as Pokvovsk.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 2, 2026

Meanwhile, the Russian defence ministry said its air defences shot down 174 Ukrainian drones overnight in parts of Russia and occupied Crimea.

From BBC • Jun. 6, 2025

More than half the population of Crimea was Russian, mainly because the original majority population of Crimean Tatars were deported under Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin in 1944.

From BBC • Apr. 24, 2025

They were headed for the village of Krymskaya, where German troops were camped along the fortified Blue Line, Hitler’s offensive front in Crimea.

From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein