Haiti
Americannoun
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Formerly Hayti. a republic in the West Indies occupying the western part of the island of Hispaniola. 10,714 sq. mi. (27,750 sq. km). Port-au-Prince.
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Also Hayti a former name of Hispaniola.
noun
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a republic occupying the W part of the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean, the E part consisting of the Dominican Republic: ceded by Spain to France in 1697 and became one of the richest colonial possessions in the world, with numerous plantations; slaves rebelled under Toussaint L'Ouverture in 1793 and defeated the French; taken over by the US (1915–41) after long political and economic chaos; under the authoritarian regimes of François Duvalier ('Papa Doc') (1957–71) and his son Jean-Claude Duvalier ('Baby Doc') (1971–86); returned to civilian rule in 1990, but another coup in 1991 brought military rule, which was ended in 1994 with US intervention. Official languages: French and Haitian creole. Religions: Roman Catholic and voodoo. Currency: gourde. Capital: Port-au-Prince. Pop: 9 893 934 (2013 est). Area: 27 749 sq km (10 714 sq miles)
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a former name for Hispaniola
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With its extremely low average income and literacy rate, Haiti is the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere.
In 1957, François (“Papa Doc”) Duvalier established a dictatorship; at his death in 1971, he was succeeded by his son, Jean Claude (“Baby Doc”), who was finally overthrown in 1986. Since then the government has changed several times through military coups. In 1994, U.S. troops arrived in Haiti in an effort to restore democratic government, however, the political and economic future of Haiti remains uncertain.
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.
The scale of the disaster, as in Haiti in 2010, also meant many people could be classified as missing for a while, he said.
From Barron's • Jul. 6, 2026
The Caribbean island of Hispaniola, shared by Haiti and the Dominican Republic, contains thousands of limestone caves.
From Science Daily • Jul. 5, 2026
There’s a friendship bracelet from a volunteer trip to Haiti, a horseshoe found on a Grand Canyon trail and antique lace from a market in Bruges, Belgium.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 1, 2026
An emotional 1-0 victory over Haiti was followed by a jubilant takeover of Boston's iconic Fenway Park.
From BBC • Jun. 28, 2026
But he wasn’t ready to abandon clinical practice, certainly not in Haiti, where he had worked for almost two decades.
From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French
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.
