Panama
Americannoun
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a republic in southern Central America. 28,575 square miles (74,010 square kilometers).
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Also called Panama City. a city in and the capital of Panama, at the Pacific end of the Panama Canal.
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Formerly Darien. Isthmus of Panama an isthmus between North and South America.
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Gulf of Panama the portion of the Pacific Ocean in the bend of the Isthmus of Panama.
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Sometimes panama Panama hat.
noun
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a republic in Central America, occupying the Isthmus of Panama: gained independence from Spain in 1821 and joined Greater Colombia; became independent in 1903, with the immediate area around the canal forming the Canal Zone under US jurisdiction; Panama assumed sovereignty over the Canal Zone in 1979 and full control in 1999. Official language: Spanish; English is also widely spoken. Religion: Roman Catholic majority. Currency: balboa. Capital: Panama City. Pop: 3 559 408 (2013 est). Area: 75 650 sq km (29 201 sq miles)
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Former name: Darien, Isthmus of Darien. an isthmus linking North and South America, between the Pacific and the Caribbean. Length: 676 km (420 miles). Width (at its narrowest point): 50 km (31 miles)
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a wide inlet of the Pacific in Panama
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Backed by the United States, which wanted to negotiate a treaty to build a canal connecting the Atlantic Ocean and Pacific Ocean, Panama revolted against Colombia, of which it was a part, and declared itself independent in 1903.
In 1989, the United States invaded Panama and forcibly removed its leader, Manuel Noriega, to the United States, where he was tried and convicted for drug trafficking. (See also Panama Canal.)
The United States built the Panama Canal from 1904 to 1914, and American relations with Panama long were shaped by the U.S. presence in the Canal Zone, which divides the country.
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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 small, heart-shaped turtles are normally found throughout tropical regions of the Pacific, Indian and Atlantic oceans, with large nesting populations in Mexico, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 3, 2026
The latter traversed the Panama Canal on a tugboat named the Shannon Dann, which rescued four fishermen off the coast of Baja California, tangerine behemoth and all.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 2026
It is an unorthodox message to broadcast as Panama bids against Ecuador to host the next edition of the biennial United Nations biodiversity negotiations in 2028.
From Barron's ● Oct. 28, 2026
Machado, who remains in Panama after repeated failed attempts to return to Venezuela, has expressed support for the talks but accuses Washington of excluding her from them.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 25, 2026
"I don't know where Panama is," I admit.
From "The Sky at Our Feet" by Nadia Hashimi
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
