Maracaibo

American  

[mar-uh-kahy-boh, mah-rah-kahy-baw] / ˌmær əˈkaɪ boʊ, ˌmɑ rɑˈkaɪ βɔ /

noun

1. a seaport in northwestern Venezuela.

2. Gulf of Maracaibo. Gulf of Venezuela.

3. Lake Maracaibo, a lake in northwestern Venezuela, an extension of the Gulf of Maracaibo: the largest lake in South America. 6,300 sq. mi. (16,320 sq. km).

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Maracaibo British  

/ maraˈkaiβo, ˌmærəˈkaɪbəʊ /

noun

1. a port in NW Venezuela, on the channel from Lake Maracaibo to the Gulf of Venezuela: the second largest city in the country; University of Zulia (1891); major oil centre. Pop: 2 182 000 (2005 est)

2. a lake in NW Venezuela, linked with the Gulf of Venezuela by a dredged channel: centre of the Venezuelan and South American oil industry. Area: about 13 000 sq km (500 sq miles)

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Example Sentences

Elsewhere in Caracas, Ana, not her real name, a 25‑year‑old teacher from Maracaibo earning $250 a month, has already decided to leave.

From BBC • Mar. 17, 2026

East of Maracaibo lies the Orinoco Belt, home to the world’s largest proven deposits, estimated at more than 300 billion barrels.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 15, 2026

On Tuesday Mr. Guanipa’s son said his father had been returned to his home in Maracaibo in the state of Zulia, and placed under house arrest.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 13, 2026

After hearing about the planned prisoner release, Ramón Guanipa took the first available flight from Maracaibo, in the east of the country, to Caracas.

From BBC • Jan. 12, 2026

“The ships will be moving again soon,” my father said confidently, and he was right I think it was February 21 that some of die Chinese sailors agreed to sail to Lake Maracaibo.

From "The Cay" by Theodore Taylor