Punjab

[ puhn-jahb, puhn-jahb ]

/ pʌnˈdʒɑb, ˈpʌn dʒɑb /

Save This Word!

noun

a former province in NW British India: now divided between India and Pakistan.

a state in NW India. 47,456 sq. mi. (122,911 sq. km). Capital: Chandigarh.

a province in NE Pakistan. 19,445 sq. mi. (50,362 sq. km). Capital: Lahore.

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of Punjab

First recorded in 1830–35; from Hindi, Urdu Panjāb, from Persian panj âb, literally “(land of) five waters, five rivers” (the Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Sutlej, and Beas, tributaries of the Indus)

Words nearby Punjab

punishing, punishment, punition, punitive, punitive damages, Punjab, Punjabi, Punjab States, punji stake, punk, punka

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use Punjab in a sentence

Also in April, Pakistan’s Supreme Court ruled against the expansion of the cement industry, which is terrible for the climate, in certain areas of Punjab.
How to be a good ancestor|Sigal Samuel|July 2, 2021|Vox
Taptej grew up in a multigenerational home on a farm in Punjab in northern India.
At home, tiki bars and beer caves shielded them from life’s troubles. They were killed at work.|Faiz Siddiqui, Silvia Foster-Frau, Marc Fisher|May 27, 2021|Washington Post
He worked as a farmer in Punjab, but like so many others at the time, his family was losing opportunities in India.
The American Dream in the Back of a Sunoco|Trisha Gopal|May 26, 2021|Eater
Between February and March, genetic testing showed that the variant became dominant in India’s northern state of Punjab, appearing in 326 of 401 sequenced viral samples.
How India’s COVID-19 crisis became the worst in the world|Priyanka Runwal|May 9, 2021|Science News

Toll plazas in Punjab—sites of permanent sit-ins by farmers protesting against the new farm laws—have been closed for months, free for vehicles to pass through without paying any fee.
Six months and counting: Where is India’s farmer protest headed?|Arunabh Saikia|March 2, 2021|Quartz
The governor of Punjab province, a Muslim man, called publicly for leniency for her.
In Defense of Blasphemy|Michael Tomasky|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
As a reporter for a newspaper in Punjab, she covered dozens of cases of acid attacks and domestic violence.
Has Malala Become a Puppet of the West?|Nico Hines|April 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
If the flames of separatism in Punjab seemed to be simmering, the secessionist strife in Kashmir was just peaking.
Farewell to Manmohan Singh, India’s Puppet Prime Minister|Kapil Komireddi|January 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Waris, who was born in Punjab, sports a turban in the arresting ads.
Is Lady Gaga the New Face of Versace?; See a Sneak Peek of Kate Moss's 'Playboy' Debut|The Fashion Beast Team|November 13, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Sikhism is a monotheistic religion that was founded in Punjab, India, in the 15th century.
Celebrating Sikh Style|Soraya Roberts|October 3, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The Punjab up in arms whole of the Punjab revolted and a holy war was proclaimed against England.
A History of the Nineteenth Century, Year by Year|Edwin Emerson
He made himself lord of nearly all the present territory of Afghanistan and of the Punjab.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 11, Slice 8|Various
One day when he was hunting in the Punjab, he saw a mother monkey carrying a little dead baby monkey.
Beautiful Joe|Marshall Saunders
In the Punjab, conditions were at the same time most serious, giving rise to expectations of armed intervention there.
Recollections of Thirty-nine Years in the Army|Charles Alexander Gordon
After due deliberation the British government determined to annex the Punjab.
Battles of English History|H. B. (Hereford Brooke) George

British Dictionary definitions for Punjab

Punjab

/ (pʌnˈdʒɑːb, ˈpʌndʒɑːb) /

noun

(formerly) a province in NW British India: divided between India and Pakistan in 1947

a state of NW India: reorganized in 1966 as a Punjabi-speaking state, a large part forming the new state of Haryana; mainly agricultural. Capital: Chandigarh. Pop: 24 289 296 (2001). Area: 50 255 sq km (19 403 sq miles)

a province of W Pakistan: created in 1947. Capital: Lahore. Pop: 82 710 000 (2003 est). Area: 205 344 sq km (127 595 sq miles)

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