Malaya

American  

[muh-ley-uh] / məˈleɪ ə /

noun

1. Malay Peninsula.

2. Formerly Malayan Union.  Formerly Malay States,.  Federation of Malaya. a former federation of 11 states in the southern part of the Malay Peninsula: a British protectorate 1948–57; now forms part of Malaysia. 50,690 sq. mi. (131,287 sq. km). Kuala Lumpur.

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Malaya British  

/ məˈleɪə /

noun

1. part of Malaysia, in the S Malay Peninsula, constituting Peninsular Malaysia: consists of the former Federated Malay States, the former Unfederated Malay States, and the former Straits Settlements. Capital: Kuala Lumpur. Pop: 17 144 322 (2000). Area: 131 587 sq km (50 806 sq miles)

2. a federation of the nine Malay States of the Malay Peninsula and two of the Straits Settlements (Malacca and Penang): formed in 1948: became part of the British Commonwealth in 1957 and joined Malaysia in 1963

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Example Sentences

His father fought in World War II and spent more than three years in a Japanese prison camp, after which he returned to Malaya and later settled in the south of England.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 5, 2025

When senior Malaya Galindez, 21, who aspires to be a physician and is majoring in health and human sciences, told her parents that she intended to minor in comedy, her father was surprised.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 25, 2025

“White people,” Malaya, explained, “couldn’t be next to Black people, which is pretty bad, because we all should be treated the same.”

From Seattle Times • May 15, 2024

"It really is a David versus Goliath issue," Mr Malaya said.

From BBC • Aug. 31, 2023

According to Lola, Malaya was a young Filipino girl who once wandered into a starving village.

From "Hello, Universe" by Erin Entrada Kelly