North Rhine-Westphalia

American

[rahyn-west-fey-lee-uh, -feyl-yuh] / ˈraɪn wɛstˈfeɪ li ə, -ˈfeɪl jə /

noun

a state in W Germany; formerly a part of Rhine province. 13,154 sq. mi. (34,070 sq. km). Düsseldorf.

North Rhine-Westphalia British

noun

German name: Nordrhein-Westfalen. a state of W Germany: formed in 1946 by the amalgamation of the Prussian province of Westphalia with the N part of the Prussian Rhine province and later with the state of Lippe; part of West Germany until 1990: highly industrialized. Capital: Düsseldorf. Pop: 18 080 000 (2003 est). Area: 34 039 sq km (13 142 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

Example Sentences

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North Rhine-Westphalia

Other fatal swimming accidents occurred in lakes in Brandenburg and North Rhine-Westphalia.

From Barron's ● Jun. 23, 2026

It is these cases of intentional evasion that North Rhine-Westphalia is targeting.

From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2025

Similar bone fragments have since been found in various different places around Europe, including Bonenburg in North Rhine-Westphalia and in the Provence region of France.

From Science Daily ● Apr. 9, 2024

The latest suspect, a 41-year-old German-Turkish man, was detained Sunday night in the western city of Bochum in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia.

From Washington Times ● Jan. 1, 2024

Around twice as many police officers as usual will be on the streets in the northern German state of North Rhine-Westphalia on 31 December.

From BBC ● Dec. 29, 2023

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