Puerto Rico

American  

[pwer-tuh ree-koh, pwer-toh, pawr-tuh, pwer-taw ree-kaw] / ˈpwɛr tə ˈri koʊ, ˈpwɛr toʊ, ˈpɔr tə, ˈpwɛr tɔ ˈri kɔ /

noun

1. an island in the central West Indies: a commonwealth associated with the U.S. 3,435 sq. mi. (8,895 sq. km). San Juan. P.R., PR

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Puerto Rico British  

/ ˈpwɜːtəʊ ˈriːkəʊ, ˈpwɛə- /

noun

1. Former name (until 1932): Porto Rico, PR. an autonomous commonwealth (in association with the US) occupying the smallest and easternmost of the Greater Antilles in the Caribbean: one of the most densely populated areas in the world; ceded by Spain to the US in 1899. Currency: US dollar. Capital: San Juan. Pop: 3 674 209 (2013 est). Area: 9104 sq km (3515 sq miles)

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Puerto Rico Cultural  

1. Island in the Caribbean Sea, southeast of Miami, Florida. Its capital and largest city is San Juan.

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Puerto Rico is a commonwealth of the United States. Citizens of Puerto Rico are also American citizens but do not vote in federal elections and do not pay federal taxes on their local earnings.

Other Word Forms

• Puerto Rican
  adjective

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Puerto Rico

Filmmaker Tyler Perry is bidding farewell to his Beverly Hills mansion, listing the property for $57 million—mere weeks after revealing his plans to move to Puerto Rico.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 5, 2026

The pharmacy chain has roughly 8,000 stores across all 50 states and Puerto Rico, according to its website.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026

It was on its third flight of the day, and was arriving from San Juan, Puerto Rico.

From Barron's ● Sep. 7, 2026

The Boeing 767-300, operated by cargo carrier 21 Air for Amazon, was arriving from San Juan, Puerto Rico, when it went off the runway shortly before 2 p.m., according to the Federal Aviation Administration.

From Salon ● Sep. 7, 2026

I knew my mom met my dad in Puerto Rico, but I never knew she spoke so much Spanish.

From "Marcus Vega Doesn't Speak Spanish" by Pablo Cartaya