Kolkata

American

[kol-kah-tuh] / kɒlˈkɑ tə /

noun

a seaport in and the capital of West Bengal state, in eastern India, on the Hugli River: former capital of British India.

Kolkata British

/ ˈkolkɑːtə /

noun

Former official name: Calcutta. a port in E India, capital of West Bengal state, on the Hooghly River: former capital of the country (1833–1912); major commercial and industrial centre; many universities. Pop: 4 580 544 (2001)

"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 cosmopolitan Chakrabarti, 60, was born in Kolkata and came to the U.S. with his family at age 2.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 13, 2026

Rubio, a devout Catholic, began his four-day, four-city tour by touring the headquarters of Mother Teresa's charity in the eastern city of Kolkata and praying over her tomb.

From Barron's • May 23, 2026

In addition to New Delhi, he will visit Agra, site of the world-famous Taj Mahal, as well as the palace-filled city of Jaipur and the eastern metropolis of Kolkata.

From Barron's • May 19, 2026

By the end of World War Two, Sen had returned to Kolkata as head of programming at All India Radio.

From BBC • Apr. 17, 2026

"I still get plenty of news from the Kolkata gossip chain," Didu says, crossing her arms and ending the debate.

From "You Bring the Distant Near" by Mitali Perkins

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