Havana

[ huh-van-uh ]

/ həˈvæn ə /

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.

Definition for havana (2 of 2)

Cuba

[ kyoo-buh; Spanish koo-vah ]

/ ˈkyu bə; Spanish ˈku vɑ /

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 forms

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

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

Examples from the Web for 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|DAILY BEAST
“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|DAILY BEAST
Nothing captures the exuberance and sensory experience of Havana quite like this.
Book Bag: Great Books About Cuba|Julia Cooke|December 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST

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|DAILY BEAST
If there be a music peculiar to Havana, I expect that I shall hear some of it next summer.
The Life and Letters of Lafcadio Hearn, Volume 1|Elizabeth Bisland
On the morning after the funeral there came a letter from Havana addressed to Mr. Dinneford.
Cast Adrift|T. S. Arthur
All these would have been united, strategically, by placing our armored divisions before Havana and Cienfuegos.
Lessons of the war with Spain and other articles|Alfred T. Mahan
In short, ideas on sanitation in London were much like those in Havana before the summer of 1898.
Milton's England|Lucia Ames Mead
We were more like a shipload of lunatics than anything else when we ran in under Morro Castle, and anchored in Havana.
Man Overboard!|F(rancis) Marion Crawford

British Dictionary definitions for havana (1 of 2)

Havana

/ (həˈvænə) /

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

British Dictionary definitions for havana (2 of 2)

Cuba

/ (ˈkjuːbə) /

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

Culture definitions for havana (1 of 2)

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.

Culture definitions for havana (2 of 2)

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.