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Pakistan

American  
[pak-uh-stan, pah-kuh-stahn] / ˈpæk əˌstæn, ˌpɑ kəˈstɑn /

noun

  1. Islamic Republic of, a republic in S Asia, between India and Afghanistan: formerly part of British India; known as West Pakistan from 1947–71 to distinguish it from East Pakistan (now Bangladesh). 310,403 sq. mi. (803,881 sq. km). Islamabad.

  2. (before 1947) the predominantly Muslim areas of the peninsula of India as distinguished from Hindustan, the predominantly Hindu areas.


Pakistan British  
/ ˌpɑːkɪˈstɑːn /

noun

  1. a republic in S Asia, on the Arabian Sea: the Union of Pakistan, formed in 1947, comprised West and East Pakistan; East Pakistan gained independence as Bangladesh in 1971 and West Pakistan became Pakistan; a member of the Commonwealth from 1947, it withdrew from 1972 until 1989; contains the fertile plains of the Indus valley rising to mountains in the north and west Official language: Urdu. Official religion: Muslim. Currency: rupee. Capital: Islamabad. Pop: 193 238 868 (2013 est). Area: 801 508 sq km (309 463 sq miles)

  2. a former republic in S Asia consisting of the provinces of West Pakistan and East Pakistan (now Bangladesh), 1500 km (900 miles) apart: formed in 1947 from the predominantly Muslim parts of India

"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

Pakistan Cultural  
  1. Republic in southern Asia, bordered by India to the east, the Arabian Sea (an arm of the Indian Ocean) to the south, Iran to the southwest, and Afghanistan to the west and north.


Discover More

Pakistan became part of British India in 1857. When India gained its independence in 1947, Muslim leaders demanded a separate Muslim state, and the nation of Pakistan was established. Originally, Pakistan consisted of two regions, West Pakistan (now Pakistan) and East Pakistan (now Bangladesh).

In 2001, Pakistan's president allowed the United States to use his country as a base to attack Afghanistan for harboring Osama bin Laden and Al Qaeda members.

In 1998, Pakistan successfully conducted tests of nuclear weapons.

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.

The opening T20 against Pakistan will be on Wednesday with the next on Friday and the final match on Sunday.

From Barron's

Series defeats in India and Pakistan in 2024 were explained by historical struggles batting against and bowling spin.

From BBC

England's captain has only opened the bowling twice in his Test career - in Ahmedabad against India in 2021 and Rawalpindi against Pakistan in 2022 - but his reluctance is curious given the specifics of this series.

From BBC

Nearly three months since border clashes prompted the closure of land crossings between Pakistan and Afghanistan, university students, merchants and families are left hanging with no way of getting back.

From Barron's

She chose Pakistan, and one of the questions Mr. Mueenuddin makes us ask is how much she will have to pay for it.

From The Wall Street Journal