exclave
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of exclave
First recorded in 1885–90; ex- 1 + -clave, modeled on enclave
Compare meaning
How does exclave compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
An exclave is a region of one country that's separated from the rest by another country's territory. There are many exclaves around the world. Alaska is a well-known example of an exclave because it is part of the United States but separated from the mainland by Canadian territory. Another famous exclave is Kaliningrad Oblast, which is a part of Russia, but surrounded by Poland, Lithuania, and the Baltic Sea. Exclaves often face challenges like relying on neighbors for trade and travel while developing unique cultural and political traits shaped by their isolation.
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.
Morocco said on Thursday there were "no facts" establishing its involvement in the massive migrant rush into Spain's North African exclave of Ceuta in July.
From Barron's ● Sep. 10, 2026
Thousands of people have protested in cities across Spain over the government's handling of the influx of migrants to the Spanish exclave of Ceuta on the north African coast.
From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2026
In the village of Budry, cows and horses grazing in the rolling fields give little hint of the heavily militarised Kaliningrad exclave next door.
From Barron's ● Aug. 21, 2026
Theories have circulated online about what might have been behind the wave of 72,000 people who climbed over fences and swam around a breakwater to get into Ceuta, a Spanish exclave in North Africa.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 9, 2026
Armenian leaders remain preoccupied by the long conflict with Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh, a primarily Armenian-populated exclave, assigned to Soviet Azerbaijan in the 1920s by Moscow.
From The 2001 CIA World Factbook by United States. Central Intelligence Agency
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
