Madeira

American  

[muh-deer-uh, -dair-uh, mah-de-ruh] / məˈdɪər ə, -ˈdɛər ə, mɑˈdɛ rə /

noun

1. a group of eight islands off the NW coast of Africa, part of Portugal. 308 sq. mi. (798 sq. km). Funchal.

2. the chief island of this group. 286 sq. mi. (741 sq. km).

3. (often lowercase) a rich, strong white or amber wine, resembling sherry, made there.

4. (often lowercase) a similar wine made elsewhere.

5. a river in W Brazil flowing NE to the Amazon: chief tributary of the Amazon. 2,100 miles (3,380 km) long.

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Madeira British  

/ məˈdɪərə, məˈðəirə /

noun

1. 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)

2. a river in W Brazil, flowing northeast to the Amazon below Manaus. Length: 3241 km (2013 miles)

3. a rich strong fortified white wine made on Madeira

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Example Sentences

He was born in Guinea-Bissau in 1991 and lived in Madeira, and then Lisbon, in Portugal as a young child, before his family moved to the UK when he was 16.

From BBC • May 14, 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

The false widow species is said to originate from Madeira and the Canary Islands and was first seen in southern England in 1879.

From BBC • Apr. 13, 2026

The show will introduce new characters too: Malcolm has a daughter, played by Keeley Karsten, and a girlfriend, played by Kiana Madeira.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 29, 2025

“Yes. You’ll carry a mixed cargo to Lisbon, and stop at Funchal, in the Madeira Islands. Then on to Manila.”

From "Carry On, Mr. Bowditch" by Jean Lee Latham