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Khmer

American  
[kmair, kuh-mair] / kmɛər, kəˈmɛər /

noun

  1. a member of a people in Cambodia whose ancestors established an empire about the 5th century a.d. and who reached their zenith during the 9th to the 12th centuries when they dominated most of Indochina.

  2. an Austroasiatic language that is the official language of Cambodia.


Khmer British  
/ kmɜː, kmɛə /

noun

  1. a member of a people of Cambodia, noted for a civilization that flourished from about 800 ad to about 1370, remarkable for its architecture

  2. the language of this people, belonging to the Mon-Khmer family: the official language of Cambodia

"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

adjective

  1. of or relating to this people or their language

"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

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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.

Thailand welcomed Cambodian war refugees to the border area after the genocidal Khmer Rouge regime fell in 1979.

From Barron's • Feb. 7, 2026

But he is hopeful tourists will return to the Angkor archaeological park -- home to scores of temple ruins from the Khmer Empire, including the Bayon Temple and top attraction, Angkor Wat.

From Barron's • Dec. 24, 2025

In Cambodian cities, signs in English and Khmer proclaim its desire for peace – one echoed by almost every Cambodian you meet.

From BBC • Dec. 18, 2025

The lotus-filled reservoirs and half-eroded temples of Angkor, capital of the Khmer empire from the ninth through the early 15th century, dominate the global image of Cambodian art.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 10, 2025

Our trail takes us on a gravel road along Route 26 westward until we reach the Khmer Rouge-occupied village of Bat Deng.

From "First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers" by Loung Ung

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