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Pretorius

American  
[pri-tawr-ee-uhs, -tohr-, prey-toh-ree-oos] / prɪˈtɔr i əs, -ˈtoʊr-, preɪˈtoʊ riˌʊs /

noun

  1. Andries Wilhelmus Jacobus 1799–1853, and his son Marthinus Wessels 1819–1901, Boer soldiers and statesmen in South Africa.


Pretorius British  
/ prɪˈtɔːrɪəs /

noun

  1. Andries Wilhelmus Jacobus (ˈɑndriːs wɪlˈhɛlmys jaːˈkoːbys). 1799–1853, a Boer leader in the Great Trek (1838) to escape British sovereignty; he also led an expedition to the Transvaal (1848). The town Pretoria was named after him

  2. his son, Marthinus Wessels (marˈtiːnys ˈwɛsəls). 1819–1901, first president of the South African Republic (1857–71) and of the Orange Free State (1859–63)

"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

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:

Mathe added that the death of Pretorius on Saturday night leaves only eight of the original 12 persons of interest in the killing of Mbense still alive.

From BBC Feb. 8, 2026

In light of this, the teams led by Prof Pretorius and Dr. Thierry worked together to examine whether microclots and NETs interact in patients with Long COVID.

From Science Daily Nov. 13, 2025

“I wouldn’t be surprised if they become a 15% party by 2035,” Pretorius said.

From The Wall Street Journal Oct. 21, 2025

The new findings are “very exciting,” says Resia Pretorius, a physiologist at Stellenbosch University in South Africa.

From Scientific American Sep. 1, 2023

To our surprise, Pretorius spoke to us in Xhosa, which he seemed to know quite well.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela

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