Malaya

American  

[muh-lay-uh] / məˈleɪ ə /

noun

1. Malay Peninsula.

2. Formerly Malayan Union, 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

See Examples For:

Malaya

"That hostility did not simply disappear afterwards," Khoo Ying Hooi, an associate professor at Universiti Malaya, told AFP.

From Barron's ● Oct. 8, 2026

Malaya Majam-Finch is 8-2 with a 2.20 ERA and freshman Kaylee Mathews is 14-1 with a 1.83 ERA.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 13, 2026

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

Nine-year-old Olga Morris and her family lived in Malaya before the Japanese invasion and though they tried to make their escape by ship, they were captured in Singapore and interned in Changi camp.

From BBC ● Feb. 3, 2024

In Malaya, at Kuala Lumpur, mosquitoes at first reacted to DDT by leaving the treated interiors.

From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson