Euphrates

American  

[yoo-frey-teez] / yuˈfreɪ tiz /

noun

1. a river in SW Asia, flowing from E Turkey through Syria and Iraq, joining the Tigris to form the Shatt-al-Arab near the Persian Gulf. 1,700 miles (2,735 km) long.

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Euphrates British  

/ juːˈfreɪtiːz /

noun

1. a river in SW Asia, rising in E Turkey and flowing south across Syria and Iraq to join the Tigris, forming the Shatt-al-Arab, which flows to the head of the Persian Gulf: important in ancient times for the extensive irrigation of its valley (in Mesopotamia). Length: 3598 km (2235 miles)

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Other Word Forms

• Euphratean adjective
• trans-Euphrates adjective

Example Sentences

Dozens of residents crossed the Euphrates in boats after two bridges were destroyed, while residents toppled a statue of a woman erected by Kurdish forces.

From Barron's • Jan. 19, 2026

Syrian pro-government forces took a strategic military base, oil facilities and a dam on the Euphrates river from the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, altering the balance of power in their continuing military contest.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 18, 2026

They entered the town of Tabqa on the south-western bank of the Euphrates and nearby dam on Saturday.

From BBC • Jan. 18, 2026

In a statement carried by state television, the army said its forces "began entering the western Euphrates area, starting with the town of Deir Hafer", after Kurdish forces had agreed to withdraw on Saturday morning.

From Barron's • Jan. 17, 2026

Project number one: we’ll be making a relief map of the Tigris and Euphrates river basin.

From "Merci Suárez Changes Gears" by Meg Medina