Pretoria

American

[pri-tawr-ee-uh, -tohr-] / prɪˈtɔr i ə, -ˈtoʊr- /

noun

a city in and the administrative capital of the Republic of South Africa, in the NE part: also the capital of Transvaal.

Pretoria British

/ prɪˈtɔːrɪə /

noun

Also called: Tshwane. a city in N South Africa, the administrative capital of South Africa; formerly capital of Transvaal province: two universities (1873, 1930); large steelworks. Pop: 525 384 (2001)

"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

Pretoria Cultural

Administrative capital of South Africa. (See also Cape Town.)

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.

He was arrested on Monday alongside his 18-year-old son in a sting operation at a shopping centre in Pretoria.

From BBC • Apr. 16, 2026

At a press conference on Wednesday, the South African government announced they had called the US ambassador to Pretoria, to explain his recent undiplomatic remarks.

From BBC • Mar. 11, 2026

One immediate result of the Pretoria meeting was an agreement for pan-African experts to engage directly with Global Exposome Forum working groups and participate in thematic meetings worldwide.

From Science Daily • Feb. 14, 2026

Afterward, under International Atomic Energy Agency monitoring, Pretoria destroyed a stash of parts, documents and equipment stored at former nuclear-weapons sites.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 1, 2026

She was put in Kroonstad Prison, in the Orange Free State, but her experience there was not as horrendous as her previous stay in Pretoria.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela

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