Cuba

[kyoo-buh; Spanish koo-vah]

noun

a republic in the Caribbean, S of Florida: largest island in the West Indies. 44,218 sq. mi. (114,525 sq. km). Capital: Havana.

Related formsCu·ban, adjective, nounpro-Cu·ban, adjective, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for cuban

Contemporary Examples of cuban

It was doubtless a warm reunion with his family, who are featured in The Cuban Wives.
Of Cuban Spies, a Baby, and a Filmmaker: The Strange Tale of the Cuban Five
Nina Strochlic
December 28, 2014
Julio Cardenas, 25 and an MC from the group RCA, was older but with a youthful smile that hid the harsher sides of Cuban life.
Cuban Hip-Hop Was Born in Alamar
Daniel Levin
December 26, 2014
Cuban hip-hop has evolved as well, both Edgar and Julio talk about the band Los Aldeanos as the new generation of Cuban hip-hop.
Cuban Hip-Hop Was Born in Alamar
Daniel Levin
December 26, 2014
The Cuban government siphons off revenue from nearly every business transaction in the country.
Obama’s One Hand Clap With Castro
Doug McIntyre
December 24, 2014
“Most people are focused on the holidays anyway,” she continued, before adding something about people liking Cuban sandwiches.
How Will Cuba Play In Peoria?
Eleanor Clift
December 21, 2014

Historical Examples of cuban

She was the mother of four children, and her husband was at the late Cuban war.
The Truth About Woman
C. Gasquoine Hartley
The iron of oppression had entered into the soul of the Cuban.
A Short History of Spain
Mary Platt Parmele
If the Cuban authorities are unable or unwilling, let us take the matter in our own hands.
Romance
Joseph Conrad and F.M. Hueffer
The little Cuban glowered at me; I said I had the honour to salute him.
Romance
Joseph Conrad and F.M. Hueffer
He apologized abjectly to the Cuban for intruding me upon him.
Romance
Joseph Conrad and F.M. Hueffer

British Dictionary definitions for cuban

Cuban

adjective

of or relating to Cuba or its inhabitants

noun

a native or inhabitant of Cuba

Cuba

noun

a republic and the largest island in the Caribbean, at the entrance to the Gulf of Mexico: became a Spanish colony after its discovery by Columbus in 1492; gained independence after the Spanish-American War of 1898 but remained subject to US influence until declared a people's republic under Castro in 1960; subject of an international crisis in 1962, when the US blockaded the island in order to compel the Soviet Union to dismantle its nuclear missile base. Sugar comprises about 80 per cent of total exports; the economy was badly affected by loss of trade following the collapse of the Soviet Union and by the continuing US trade embargo. Language: Spanish. Religion: nonreligious majority. Currency: peso. Capital: Havana. Pop: 11 061 886 (2013 est). Area: 110 922 sq km (42 827 sq miles)

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

Word Origin and History for cuban

Cuba

said to be from Taino (Arawakan) Cubanacan, the name of the people who occupied the island. Related: Cuban (1829), Cuban heel (1908); Cuban Missile Crisis (October 16-28, 1962).

cuban in Culture

Cuba

Republic consisting of the island of Cuba and other nearby islands. It lies in the Caribbean Sea at the entrance of the Gulf of Mexico. Its capital and largest city is Havana.

Note

The sinking of the United States battleship Maine in Havana harbor led to the Spanish-American War in 1898.

Note

Fidel Castro took control of the Cuban government in 1959. The United States broke off relations with Cuba in 1961, after Castro exhibited strong left-wing leanings, established a system of military justice, and confiscated American investments in banks, industries, and land. Cuba then formed a close attachment to the Soviet Union.

Note

In 1961, under the administration of John F. Kennedy, American-trained Cuban exiles attempted to invade Cuba, landing at the Bay of Pigs, only to be easily defeated by Castro's forces. The Kennedy administration was sharply criticized for the Bay of Pigs fiasco.

Note

The Cuban missile crisis of 1962 occurred as a result of a Soviet buildup of medium-range missiles (capable of striking targets in the United States) in Cuba.

Note

In 1980, Cuban refugees began pouring into the United States when Castro allowed free emigration.

Note

The collapse of communism in eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union has left Cuba as one of the last communist states.