raj
noun
(in India) rule, especially the British rule prior to 1947.
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raj
American
[rahj]
/ rɑdʒ /
noun
(often initial capital letter)
Raj
1
British
/ rɑːdʒ /
noun
raj
2
British
/ rɑːdʒ /
noun
Etymology
Origin of raj
1790–1800; < Hindi rāj < Pali, Prakrit rajja < Sanskrit rājya kingdom, rule
Explanation
The raj was the period in history when the British Empire ruled over a region of South Asia that includes the modern countries of India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. In Hindi, raj means "rule" or "kingdom." Britain's control over the Indian subcontinent during the 19th and 20th centuries was officially known as British India, but it was commonly referred to as "the British Raj" or simply "the Raj." The raj officially began in 1858, and it lasted through 1947 when the region was split into two sovereign states, India and Pakistan. Today the former raj consists of five independent nations.
Vocabulary lists containing raj
South Asia - Middle School and High School
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History of India - Introductory
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Chapters 27–28
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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:
The nizam juggled between his obligations to the colonial raj and to India’s rising pro-independence leaders Jawaharlal Nehru and Muhammad Ali Jinnah.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 4, 2026
“Kudumbashree has worked because of Kerala’s strong panchayati raj system, which no other Indian state can boast of,” he said.
From New York Times ● Mar. 7, 2014
When the license-permit-quota raj was dismantled in the 1990s, it was expected that corruption would diminish.
From Newsweek ● Jun. 12, 2011
Further in, it's the raj of the "Dada log".
From The Guardian ● Mar. 27, 2010
The city was simply swarming with budmashes, and it was said that the priests had begun to preach a jehad against the British raj.
From The Keeper of the Door by Ethel M. (Ethel May) Dell
"It is a challenging job because people in many places have sentimental attachments with their land and property but we cannot ignore the increasing risks," says chief executive Dharam Raj Uprety.
From BBC ● Oct. 28, 2026
As a city councilmember, Raj hopes to increase housing supply, particularly the supply of units that are big enough for families, and expand tenant protections like rent stabilization.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 6, 2026
Basanta Raj Adhikari, director at the Centre for Disaster Studies at Tribhuvan University, said the Himalayas must be monitored regionally for hotspots to develop early warning systems.
From Barron's ● Sep. 27, 2026
Harvard economist Raj Chetty’s team tracked 40 years of tax and Census records for 57 million Americans.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026
When they drop us off, Raj leans out the window and calls to my grandfather, “You still have to pay me.”
From "The Fourteenth Goldfish" by Jennifer L. Holm
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
