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Khyber Pass

American  
[kahy-ber pas, pahs] / ˈkaɪ bər ˈpæs, ˈpɑs /
Sometimes Khaibar Pass

noun

  1. the chief mountain pass between Pakistan and Afghanistan, west of Peshawar. 33 miles (53 kilometers) long; 6,825 feet (2,080 meters) high.


Khyber Pass British  
/ ˈkaɪbə /

noun

  1. a narrow pass over the Safed Koh Range between Afghanistan and Pakistan, over which came the Persian, Greek, Tatar, Mogul, and Afghan invasions of India; scene of bitter fighting between the British and Afghans (1838–42, 1878–80). Length: about 53 km (33 miles). Highest point: 1072 m (3518 ft)

"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

Etymology

Origin of Khyber Pass

First recorded in 1825–30; origin 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.

See Examples For:

Thousands of travellers and hundreds of trucks laden with goods were stranded last week by the closure of the Torkham border crossing, at the western end of the fabled Khyber Pass.

From Reuters ● Sep. 15, 2023

During the 19th century, the rugged lands beyond India’s Khyber Pass emerged as the bloody playground of “The Great Game,” in which Russia and Britain jockeyed for power and territory.

From Washington Post ● May 20, 2020

He went on to Pakistan, then across the Khyber Pass into Afghanistan before being brought back to the US to stand trial.

From BBC ● May 22, 2019

Supply trucks that trundle across desert into Afghanistan’s southern Kandahar province or into Nangarhar via the mountainous Khyber Pass ground to a halt.

From Seattle Times ● Jan. 18, 2018

Pine trees flanked the road, fewer than I remembered and many of them bare, but it was good to see trees again after the arduous drive through the Khyber Pass.

From "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini

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