exclave
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of exclave
First recorded in 1885–90; ex- 1 + -clave, modeled on enclave
Compare meaning
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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.
At least 72,000 migrants crossed from Morocco into Ceuta, a Spanish exclave in North Africa on 30 and 31 July.
From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026
Allied countries have also responded and in the past week carried out a planned air exercise near the Russian exclave, using U.S. and Norwegian fighter aircraft and Polish ground forces.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 23, 2026
Military trucks sped across winding roads through farmland and quiet villages to one of Europe's most strategic borders, separating Poland and the Russian exclave Kaliningrad.
From Barron's ● Aug. 21, 2026
Prosecutors allege that some of the items were brought into the EU from the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad.
From BBC ● Aug. 7, 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.
