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.

---

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

---

Gibraltar Cultural  

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

---

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

By comparison, Spain has allocated less than $230 million over the past decade for its Campo de Gibraltar security plan, launched to dismantle criminal networks in the south of Spain.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026

Over that period, the laboratory received 274 samples connected to 201 suspected cases of either deliberate or accidental poisoning across the UK, Ireland, and Gibraltar.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 15, 2026

The seven-square mile enclave on a peninsula jutting into the Strait of Gibraltar has been Spanish since 1580.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 2, 2026

But for locals, the chance of a better life in Europe was worth the risk, even in the perilous currents of the Strait of Gibraltar.

From Barron's ● Jul. 31, 2026

We ran by Gibraltar wi’oot bein’ able to signal; an’ till we came to the Dardanelles and had to wait to get our permit to pass, we never were within hail o’ aught.

From "Dracula" by Bram Stoker