Rio de Janeiro

[ ree-oh dey zhuh-nair-oh, -neer-oh, juh-, dee, duh; Portuguese ree-oodi zhi-ney-roo ]

noun
  1. a seaport in SE Brazil: former capital.

  • Also called Rio.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use Rio de Janeiro in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for Rio de Janeiro

Rio de Janeiro

Rio

/ (ˈriːəʊ də dʒəˈnɪərəʊ) /


noun
  1. a port in SE Brazil, on Guanabara Bay: the country's chief port and its capital from 1763 to 1960; backed by mountains, notably Sugar Loaf Mountain; founded by the French in 1555 and taken by the Portuguese in 1567. Pop: 11 469 000 (2005 est): Related noun: Cariocan

  2. a state of E Brazil. Capital: Rio de Janeiro. Pop: 14 724 475 (2002). Area: 42 911 sq km (16 568 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

Cultural definitions for Rio de Janeiro

Rio de Janeiro

[ (ree-oh day, dee zhuh-nair-oh) ]


City in southeastern Brazil on the Atlantic Ocean. Second-largest city in Brazil, after São Paulo; its former capital; and its financial, commercial, transportation, and cultural center.

Notes for Rio de Janeiro

Rio is famous as a tourist attraction. Especially popular are its beaches, particularly the Copacabana.

Notes for Rio de Janeiro

Rio's annual carnival is world-famous.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.