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Netherlands Antilles

American  

noun

(used with a singular verb)

  1. a Netherlands overseas territory in the Caribbean Sea, N and NE of Venezuela; includes the islands of Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao, Saba, and St. Eustatius, and the S part of St. Martin: considered an integral part of the Dutch realm. 366 sq. mi. (948 sq. km). Willemstad.

Netherlands Antilles British  

plural noun

  1. Former names: Curaçao.   the Dutch West Indies.   the Netherlands West Indies.  two groups of islands in the Caribbean, in the Lesser Antilles: overseas division of the Netherlands, consisting of the S group of Curaçao, Aruba, and Bonaire, and the N group of Saint Eustatius, Saba, and the S part of Saint Martin; economy based on refining oil from Venezuela. Capital: Willemstad (on Curaçao). Pop: 222 000 (2004 est). Area: 996 sq km (390 sq miles)

"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
Netherlands Antilles Cultural  

  1. Group of islands, administered by The Netherlands, in the Caribbean Sea, off the northern coast of Venezuela.

Discover More

The principal islands of Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao, combining Caribbean beaches and Dutch charm, are popular resorts.

Other Word Forms

  • Netherlands Antillean adjective

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.

But in 2010, the Dutch dissolved the six-island territory known as the Netherlands Antilles, making Curacao a constituent nation within the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 9, 2025

Doom threw a perfect game at the Netherlands Antilles in the opener of the competition and matches that performance against Nicaragua, winning 8-0.

From Washington Times • Jul. 30, 2020

Three hail from Curacao and found themselves in a bind following the 2010 breakup of the Netherlands Antilles.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 11, 2012

The other competitors are from the former Netherlands Antilles.

From BBC • Aug. 9, 2012

The island of Saint Martin is   shared with France; its northern portion is named Saint-Martin and   is part of Guadeloupe, and its southern portion is named Sint   Maarten and is part of the Netherlands Antilles.

From The 2003 CIA World Factbook by United States. Central Intelligence Agency

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.