Netherlands
Americannoun
noun
-
Also called: Holland. Dutch name: Nederland. a kingdom in NW Europe, on the North Sea: declared independence from Spain in 1581 as the United Provinces; became a major maritime and commercial power in the 17th century, gaining many overseas possessions; formed the Benelux customs union with Belgium and Luxembourg in 1948 and was a founder member of the Common Market, now the European Union. It is mostly flat and low-lying, with about 40 per cent of the land being below sea level, much of it on polders protected by dykes. Official language: Dutch. Religion: Christian majority, Protestant and Roman Catholic, large nonreligious minority. Currency: euro. Capital: Amsterdam, with the seat of government at The Hague. Pop: 16 805 037 (2013 est). Area: 41 526 sq km (16 033 sq miles)
-
the kingdom of the Netherlands together with the Flemish-speaking part of Belgium, esp as ruled by Spain and Austria before 1581; the Low Countries
Other Word Forms
Compare meaning
How does netherlands compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
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.
Another two British nationals who have been confirmed to have hantavirus are being treated in the Netherlands and South Africa.
From BBC • May 13, 2026
Hours earlier, Dela Rosa asked his supporters to prevent his arrest and extradition to the Netherlands, where the ICC is based.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 13, 2026
Researchers also collected air samples in Cabauw, a small rural village in the Netherlands, where concentrations reached 2 nanograms per cubic meter.
From Science Daily • May 13, 2026
The fourth-largest city in the United States, with 2.3 million inhabitants, will host five group-stage matches, featuring teams such as Florian Wirtz’s Germany, Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal, and Virgil van Dijk’s Netherlands.
From Barron's • May 12, 2026
As 1940 ends, more British bombs have fallen over Hamburg, but the Nazis have overrun Poland, France, Denmark, Norway, Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands.
From "The Boy Who Dared" by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
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.
