Biblical name: Tadmor. an ancient city in central Syria: said to have been built by Solomon
an island in the central Pacific, in the Line Islands: under US administration
C17: from Portuguese palmeira palm tree (see palm ²); perhaps influenced by Palmyra , city in Syria
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Palmyra, home to UNESCO-listed ancient ruins, was once controlled by the jihadist fighters.
From Barron's ● Jan. 4, 2026
Syrian security forces arrested five suspects in an operation in the city of Palmyra in response to the attack, the Interior Ministry said on Sunday.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 14, 2025
Leo Brent Bozell IV, 44, of Palmyra, Pennsylvania, was one of the first rioters to enter the Capitol and among the first to reach the Senate floor during the Jan. 6, 2021, siege.
From Seattle Times ● May 17, 2024
Captain Yager’s remains were recovered in Riverside County, Calif., and he was buried in Palmyra, Mo.
From New York Times ● Apr. 21, 2024
We rented a car and six hours later entered Palmyra.
From "Educated" by Tara Westover
While removable wallpaper may not be in the cards for me, others shouldn't be denied the pure joy of a palmyra leaf-covered wall.
From Salon ● Jul. 28, 2022
"As we approached Jaffna, we sensed the smell of its palmyra" palm trees common in the north.
From US News ● Oct. 11, 2014
Thousands of Sri Lankans have tried to flee their country in recent years In a desolate grove of palmyra trees, I meet Dilip, 21, a Tamil man.
From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2013
Huh? — tacony palmyra July 28, 2010 5:52 pm I hope NYC’s system is more realistic than the letter grading system here in Los Angeles.
From New York Times ● Jul. 28, 2010
Hereabouts, but particularly to the northward on the Jaffna peninsula, the palmyra palm is found in profusion, with its black straight stem crowned by a thick sheaf of pinnate leaves.
From The Pearl of India by Ballou, Maturin Murray
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.
