raj

[ rahj ]

/ rɑdʒ /

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noun (often initial capital letter)

(in India) rule, especially the British rule prior to 1947.

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Origin of raj

1790–1800; <Hindi rāj<Pali, Prakrit rajja<Sanskrit rājya kingdom, rule

Words nearby raj

Raisin River, raison d'état, raison d'être, raisonneur, raita, raj, Rajab, rajah, Rajahmundry, RAJAR, rajas

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

How to use raj in a sentence

During the colonial period the Punjabi Muslims formed the prized martial class for the British Raj.
CIA Agents Assess: How Real Is ‘Homeland’?|Chuck Cogan, John MacGaffin|December 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He was like some cryptic English-Chekhovian figure, playing out the last days of his private, imagined Raj.
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days|David Freeman|December 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Then a guy named Raj flashed not what was in his pants, but what was in his heart.
And the Wiener Is…My Trip to Brooklyn’s Smallest Penis Pageant|Tessa Miller|June 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I asked Raj what he found most compelling about his recent visit to Swartland.
Drink Like Nelson Mandela: South Africa’s Exciting New Wine|Jordan Salcito|December 14, 2013|DAILY BEAST

Raj Rajaratnam, founder of the hedge fund Galleon Group, pursued a Wall Street lifestyle.
Charles Gasparino Details Insider-Trading Investigations in New Book, ‘Circle of Friends’|William O’Connor|July 3, 2013|DAILY BEAST
“The British Raj is doomed,” she muttered, lowering her voice, and bringing her magnificent eyes close to his.
The Red Year|Louis Tracy
In an Indian prison, out of the jurisdiction of the British Raj, and with her two small hands and woman's mind she must free him!
The Adventures of Kathlyn|Harold MacGrath
In six days he would be beyond the hand of the meddling British Raj, in his own country.
The Adventures of Kathlyn|Harold MacGrath
Here was the long delayed opportunity for the hand of the British Raj: a captive white woman.
The Adventures of Kathlyn|Harold MacGrath
He was lazy, and there was the damnable, unrelenting hand of the British Raj looming in the distance.
The Adventures of Kathlyn|Harold MacGrath

British Dictionary definitions for raj (1 of 2)

raj

/ (rɑːdʒ) /

noun

(in India) government; rule

Word Origin for raj

C19: from Hindi, from Sanskrit rājya, from rājati he rules

British Dictionary definitions for raj (2 of 2)

Raj

/ (rɑːdʒ) /

noun

the Raj the British government in India before 1947

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