Malaya
Americannoun
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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.
noun
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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)
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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
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.
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
Only weeks after the Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941, the emperor’s soldiers swept south through Malaya, often riding on cheap pushbikes in an assault dubbed “the bicycle blitzkrieg.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 27, 2025
The list goes on — Cambodia to Kampuchea, Swaziland to Eswatini, Malaya to Malaysia.
From Seattle Times • Sep. 7, 2023
"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
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.
