Madeira
Americannoun
-
a group of eight islands off the NW coast of Africa, part of Portugal. 308 sq. mi. (798 sq. km). Funchal.
-
the chief island of this group. 286 sq. mi. (741 sq. km).
-
(often lowercase) a rich, strong white or amber wine, resembling sherry, made there.
-
(often lowercase) a similar wine made elsewhere.
-
a river in W Brazil flowing NE to the Amazon: chief tributary of the Amazon. 2,100 miles (3,380 km) long.
noun
-
a group of volcanic islands in the N Atlantic, west of Morocco: since 1976 an autonomous region of Portugal; consists of the chief island, Madeira, Porto Santo, and the uninhabited Deserta and Selvagen Islands. Capital: Funchal. Pop: 245 012 (2001). Area: 797 sq km (311 sq miles)
-
a river in W Brazil, flowing northeast to the Amazon below Manaus. Length: 3241 km (2013 miles)
-
a rich strong fortified white wine made on Madeira
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.
For mains, the grilled rainbow trout with Carolina Gold rice and espelette-citrus beurre blanc was beautifully balanced, while the butternut squash agnolotti with Madeira foam and ricotta offered a rich, comforting counterpoint.
From Salon ● Jun. 11, 2026
Madeira, the real one, was probably unaware at the time his mischief would create a cult figure whose legacy lives on among early-noughties wannabe managers.
From BBC ● May 5, 2026
To Madeira was a bargain wonderkid on Championship Manager 01-02, a guaranteed goal-getter available for a few hundred thousand pounds who would evolve into one of the game's greatest strikers.
From BBC ● May 5, 2026
The PCC is a household name in villages like Urucurituba, 1,600 miles north of São Paulo’s squalid jails, where the vast milky Madeira River cuts through the rainforest.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 20, 2026
In the case of the Azores this was mistaken, while it was correct in the case of Madeira, discovered—or rather rediscovered—around the same time, for it was known to Pliny and Plutarch.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
