Kerala

American

[key-ruh-luh, ker-uh-] / ˈkeɪ rə lə, ˈkɛr ə- /

noun

a state in SW India: formerly the regions of Travancore and Cochin. 15,005 sq. mi. (38,836 sq. km). Thiruvananthapuram.

Kerala British

/ kəˈrɑːlə, ˈkɛrələ /

noun

a state of SW India, on the Arabian Sea: formed in 1956, it includes the former state of Travancore-Cochin; has the highest population density of any Indian state. Capital: Trivandrum (Thiruvananthapuram). Pop: 31 838 619 (2001). Area: 38 863 sq km (15 005 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

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 five southern states - Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Telangana - account for about 20% of India's 1.4 billion people.

From BBC • Apr. 16, 2026

Some Indian states also offer limited menstrual leave: Bihar and Odisha give two days per month to government employees, while Kerala provides it to university and industrial training institute staff.

From BBC • Mar. 13, 2026

India holds the world's third-largest, rare earth reserves, about 8% of the global total, largely in the sands of coastal states like Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Gujarat.

From BBC • Jan. 15, 2026

Adani Ports recently opened a new container-handling terminal in Vizhinjam, in Kerala, India, powered by remote-operated and semi-automated equipment.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 9, 2026

That was before they were divorced and Ammu came back to live in Kerala.

From "The God of Small Things" by Arundhati Roy

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