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Organization of American States

American  

noun

  1. an organization formed in 1948 for the purpose of coordinated action in economic, political, and military matters: members are Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, St. Kitts-Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, United States, Uruguay, and Venezuela. OAS


Organization of American States British  

noun

  1.  OAS.  an association consisting of the US and other republics in the W hemisphere, founded at Bogotá in 1948 to promote military, economic, social, and cultural cooperation among the member states See also Pan American Union

"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

Organization of American States Cultural  
  1. An international organization that includes the United States and over thirty nations in Latin America. It was founded in the 1940s to promote the peaceful settlement of disputes and economic cooperation among members.


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.

See Examples For:

On Jan. 21 the U.S. ambassador to the Organization of American States estimated that Venezuela was holding about 1,000 political prisoners.

From The Wall Street Journal Feb. 13, 2026

It’s something that had waned over the years and been replaced by a greater emphasis on regional cooperation through institutions like the Organization of American States, and by U.S. soft power projected through development projects.

From Slate Jan. 6, 2026

Observers from the Organization of American States were deployed to Guyana for the election and have not yet reported any instances of electoral fraud.

From BBC Sep. 4, 2025

The Organization of American States, the region’s largest multilateral organization, failed to muster majority approval of a mildly worded call for transparency.

From Los Angeles Times Aug. 13, 2024

Speaking from his hospital bed, Betancourt announced he has again filed charges with the Organization of American States.

From "In the Time of the Butterflies" by Julia Alvarez

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