Rio de Janeiro
Americannoun
noun
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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)
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a state of E Brazil. Capital: Rio de Janeiro. Pop: 14 724 475 (2002). Area: 42 911 sq km (16 568 sq miles)
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Rio is famous as a tourist attraction. Especially popular are its beaches, particularly the Copacabana.
Rio's annual carnival is world-famous.
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.
"I came to take a guided tour of the favela, but they told me there is a significant police presence today," said Jan Plagge, a 40-year-old German visiting Rio de Janeiro for the first time.
From Barron's ● Jun. 23, 2026
She said the disappearance of a half dozen environmental activists in southern Mexico and deadly air pollution in Rio de Janeiro and Monterrey are attributed to Ternium.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 21, 2026
Rio de Janeiro Mayor Eduardo Cavaliere said earlier that there were "foreign nationals on board one of the aircraft," without giving further details.
From Barron's ● Jun. 14, 2026
"Women's salt-adding behavior, however, was associated with a wider range of social and dietary characteristics than men's," added co-author Dr. Débora Santos, a titular professor at Rio de Janeiro State University.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 4, 2026
No one is more surprised than I am that the little girl with the big muscles ended up on a path from foster care to an Olympic stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
From "Courage to Soar" by Simone Biles
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
