Guatemala

American

[gwah-tuh-mah-luh, gwah-te-mah-lah] / ˌgwɑ təˈmɑ lə, ˌgwɑ tɛˈmɑ lɑ /

noun

a republic in northern Central America. 42,042 sq. mi (108,889 sq km).
Also called Guatemala City. a city in and the capital of the republic of Guatemala.

Guatemala British

/ ˌɡwɑːtəˈmɑːlə /

noun

a republic in Central America: original Maya Indians conquered by the Spanish in 1523; became the centre of Spanish administration in Central America; gained independence and was annexed to Mexico in 1821, becoming an independent republic in 1839. Official language: Spanish. Religion: Roman Catholic majority. Currency: quetzal and US dollar. Capital: Guatemala City. Pop: 14 373 472 (2013 est). Area: 108 889 sq km (42 042 sq miles)

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Guatemala Cultural

Republic in Central America, bordered by Mexico to the west and north, Belize and the Caribbean Sea to the east, Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast, and the Pacific Ocean to the south. Its capital and largest city is Guatemala City.

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It is traditionally unstable politically.

The country is noted for its particularly low average income and literacy rate.

Other Word Forms

Guatemalan

adjective

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How does guatemala compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

Guatemala vs. Nicaragua

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.

See Examples For:

Guatemala

According to police, Juarez, who is from Guatemala and has worked in construction and lived in Michigan for years, fled in his car before crashing into a tree.

From Slate ● Sep. 23, 2026

Evangelical Christianity has continued to spread in Guatemala since the end of the civil war in the 1990s, even among the Ixil themselves.

From Salon ● Sep. 1, 2026

Guatemala lies on the Pacific "Ring of Fire" and experiences frequent seismic and volcanic activity.

From Barron's ● Aug. 4, 2026

The eruption of the Fuego volcano in Guatemala has triggered the evacuation of at least two villages on its slopes.

From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026

San Juan Chamula, a mountain town in central Chiapas, near the border with Guatemala, is an example.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023