Rotterdam

American  

[rot-er-dam, rawt-uhr-dahm] / ˈrɒt ərˌdæm, ˌrɔt ərˈdɑm /

noun

1. a seaport in SW Netherlands.

2. a town in E New York, on the Mohawk River.

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Rotterdam British  

/ ˈrɒtəˌdæm /

noun

1. a port in the SW Netherlands, in South Holland province: the second largest city of the Netherlands and one of the world's largest ports; oil refineries, shipbuilding yards, etc. Pop: 600 000 (2003 est)

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Rotterdam Cultural  

1. City in the western Netherlands, near the North Sea. Second-largest city in The Netherlands, after Amsterdam, and its major foreign-trade center.

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Discover More

The center of the city was destroyed during World War II by German bombs.

Example Sentences

A cruise ship that sparked global alarm after a deadly outbreak of hantavirus will end its voyage in Rotterdam on Monday, with its remaining skeleton crew facing weeks of quarantine.

From Barron's • May 18, 2026

The MV Hondius left Spain's Tenerife island on Monday and is sailing to the Dutch port of Rotterdam.

From BBC • May 12, 2026

Today, the view takes in one of Europe's largest logistics hubs and key transport routes between Rotterdam and Belgium, the rumble of passing trucks drowns out the birdsong.

From BBC • Apr. 12, 2026

Second only to Rotterdam in the Netherlands, the Antwerp port on Belgium's north coast is a key gateway for goods coming into Europe from the United States, China and elsewhere.

From Barron's • Apr. 10, 2026

After twenty minutes, Blake returned to Rotterdam, using the back roads he had learned as a teenager in the Dutch resistance.

From "Spies: The Secret Showdown Between America and Russia" by Marc Favreau