Havana

[huh-van-uh]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR Havana ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

Spanish Habana. a seaport in and the capital of Cuba, on the NW coast.

a cigar made in Cuba or of Cuban tobacco.

Cuba

[kyoo-buh; Spanish koo-vah]

noun

a republic in the Caribbean, S of Florida: largest island in the West Indies. 44,218 sq. mi. (114,525 sq. km). Capital: Havana.

Related formsCu·ban, adjective, nounpro-Cu·ban, adjective, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for havana

tobacco, bouquet, corona, smoke, stogy, claro, havana, toby, panatela, weed, belvedere, cheroot, stogie, perfecto

Examples from the Web for havana

Contemporary Examples of havana

In 1950, Serna earned his Ph.D. from the University of Havana, where he had befriended a classmate named Fidel Castro.
Obama’s One Hand Clap With Castro
Doug McIntyre
December 24, 2014
“At least it keeps the mosquitoes away,” one of my table-mates said, as we watched the swooshes of smoke waft into the Havana sky.
Canada ♥ Cuba Just Got Complicated
Shinan Govani
December 22, 2014
Nothing captures the exuberance and sensory experience of Havana quite like this.
Book Bag: Great Books About Cuba
Julia Cooke
December 20, 2014
Lastly, the re-opening of diplomatic ties between Havana and Washington gives Brazil a chance to push for changes in Cuba.
Venezuela Says Goodbye to Its Lil Friend, While the Rest of the Continent Cheers
Catalina Lobo-Guererro
December 20, 2014
So in America, “Havana Club” is made by Bacardi in Puerto Rico and can be found in five states.
Why Congress Hates Your Cuban Rum
Tim Mak
December 19, 2014

Historical Examples of havana

Connecticut supplies all summer resorts with the finest Havana segars.
Punchinello, Vol. 1. No. 20, August 13, 1870
Various
It is strictly a Spanish idea, which the author has often seen in Havana.
Aztec Land
Maturin M. Ballou
Or you can take a trip with me to Havana till it blows over.
Romance
Joseph Conrad and F.M. Hueffer
But over there they winked and chuckled at the judge, and they do the same in Havana at us.
Romance
Joseph Conrad and F.M. Hueffer
He has climbed very high; he is a judge of the Marine Court at Havana.
Romance
Joseph Conrad and F.M. Hueffer

British Dictionary definitions for havana

Havana

noun

the capital of Cuba, a port in the northwest on the Gulf of Mexico: the largest city in the Caribbean; founded in 1514 as San Cristóbal de la Habana by Diego Velásquez. Pop: 2 192 000 (2005 est)Spanish name: Habana Related adjective: Habanero

Cuba

noun

a republic and the largest island in the Caribbean, at the entrance to the Gulf of Mexico: became a Spanish colony after its discovery by Columbus in 1492; gained independence after the Spanish-American War of 1898 but remained subject to US influence until declared a people's republic under Castro in 1960; subject of an international crisis in 1962, when the US blockaded the island in order to compel the Soviet Union to dismantle its nuclear missile base. Sugar comprises about 80 per cent of total exports; the economy was badly affected by loss of trade following the collapse of the Soviet Union and by the continuing US trade embargo. Language: Spanish. Religion: nonreligious majority. Currency: peso. Capital: Havana. Pop: 11 061 886 (2013 est). Area: 110 922 sq km (42 827 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

Word Origin and History for havana

Havana

Cuban capital city, founded 1514 by Diego Velázquez as San Cristóbal de la Habana "St. Christopher of the Habana," apparently the name of a local native people. The Spanish adjective form is Habanero. Meaning "cigar made in Havana" is by 1802.

Cuba

said to be from Taino (Arawakan) Cubanacan, the name of the people who occupied the island. Related: Cuban (1829), Cuban heel (1908); Cuban Missile Crisis (October 16-28, 1962).

havana in Culture

Havana

Capital of Cuba and largest city in the country, located in western Cuba; the largest city and chief port of the West Indies and one of the oldest cities in the Americas.

Note

The sinking of the American battleship Maine in Havana harbor in 1898 led to the Spanish-American War.

Cuba

Republic consisting of the island of Cuba and other nearby islands. It lies in the Caribbean Sea at the entrance of the Gulf of Mexico. Its capital and largest city is Havana.

Note

The sinking of the United States battleship Maine in Havana harbor led to the Spanish-American War in 1898.

Note

Fidel Castro took control of the Cuban government in 1959. The United States broke off relations with Cuba in 1961, after Castro exhibited strong left-wing leanings, established a system of military justice, and confiscated American investments in banks, industries, and land. Cuba then formed a close attachment to the Soviet Union.

Note

In 1961, under the administration of John F. Kennedy, American-trained Cuban exiles attempted to invade Cuba, landing at the Bay of Pigs, only to be easily defeated by Castro's forces. The Kennedy administration was sharply criticized for the Bay of Pigs fiasco.

Note

The Cuban missile crisis of 1962 occurred as a result of a Soviet buildup of medium-range missiles (capable of striking targets in the United States) in Cuba.

Note

In 1980, Cuban refugees began pouring into the United States when Castro allowed free emigration.

Note

The collapse of communism in eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union has left Cuba as one of the last communist states.