Melilla

American

[may-leel-yah] / meɪˈlil jɑ /

noun

a seaport belonging to Spain on the NE coast of Morocco, in NW Africa.

Melilla British

/ melija /

noun

the chief town of a Spanish enclave in Morocco, on the Mediterranean coast: founded by the Phoenicians; exports iron ore. Pop: 68 463 (2003 est)

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Example Sentences

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Melilla

But doubts have swirled over the possible role of Rabat, which claims sovereignty over Ceuta and Spain's other north African territory of Melilla.

From Barron's ● Sep. 8, 2026

Ceuta and Spain's other north African enclave, Melilla, have the European Union's only land borders with Africa, and their status has historically poisoned relations between Madrid and Rabat.

From Barron's ● Sep. 2, 2026

Ceuta, like its sister city Melilla, is a geographical oddity.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 9, 2026

The crossings came after Spain's Supreme Court ruled that migrants stopped at sea while trying to reach Ceuta or Melilla cannot be summarily returned to Morocco.

From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026

Indeed Melilla is itself a place of refuge for those vessels of the enemy fitted out for the annoyance of our Mediterranean trade.

From Travels through the Empire of Morocco by John Buffa

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023