Gibraltar

American  

[ji-brawl-ter] / dʒɪˈbrɔl tər /

noun

1. a British crown colony comprising a fortress and seaport located on a narrow promontory near the southern tip of Spain. 1.875 sq. mi. (5 sq. km).

2. Rock of Gibraltar.

   1. Ancient Calpe.  a long, precipitous mountain nearly coextensive with this colony: one of the Pillars of Hercules. 1,396 feet (426 meters) high; 2.5 miles (4 kilometers) long.

   2. any person or thing that has strength and endurance that can be relied on.

3. Strait of Gibraltar, a strait between Europe and Africa at the Atlantic entrance to the Mediterranean Sea. 8.5–23 miles (14–37 kilometers) wide.

4. any impregnable fortress or stronghold.

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Gibraltar British  

/ dʒɪˈbrɔːltə /

noun

1. Ancient name: Calpe.  a city on the Rock of Gibraltar, a limestone promontory at the tip of S Spain: settled by Moors in 711 and taken by Spain in 1462; ceded to Britain in 1713; a British crown colony (1830–1969), still politically associated with Britain; a naval and air base of strategic importance. Pop: 29 111 (2013 est). Area: 6.5 sq km (2.5 sq miles)

2. a narrow strait between the S tip of Spain and the NW tip of Africa, linking the Mediterranean with the Atlantic

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Gibraltar Cultural  

1. A colony of Britain on the southern coast of Spain.

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Discover More

Its seeming impregnability as a fortress during several wars led to the saying: “solid as the Rock of Gibraltar.”

Spain has protested British control of Gibraltar, but the dispute has remained unsettled for years.

Location of an important military base; strategically significant because it can be used to keep ships from entering or leaving the Mediterranean Sea.

Located on the Rock of Gibraltar, a huge limestone mass.

Other Word Forms

• Gibraltarian
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of Gibraltar

First recorded in 1570–80; from Arabic jabal ṭāriq “Mountain of Tariq,” named after Tariq ibn Ziyad, who led the Omayyad conquest of Spain beginning in 711

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Gibraltar

Charged on all goods sold in Gibraltar, it will start at 15% this year, eventually rising to 17%.

From BBC ● Jul. 12, 2026

The most obvious economic benefit for Gibraltar, Picardo says, will be an increase in arrivals.

From BBC ● Jul. 12, 2026

A British Overseas Territory of around 40,000 inhabitants, Gibraltar has a border control for those entering and leaving.

From BBC ● Jul. 12, 2026

The Spanish and French besieged British Gibraltar, and the Dutch were pulled into the war against Britain as well.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026

The word you run across in geography, by the way, is strait, referring to a tight waterway: the Strait of Gibraltar, the Bering Strait. subtly.

From "Woe Is I" by Patricia T. O'Conner