Sarajevo

[ sar-uh-yey-voh; Serbo-Croatian. sah-rah-ye-vaw ]

/ ˌsær əˈyeɪ voʊ; Serbo-Croatian. ˈsɑ rɑ yɛ vɔ /

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noun

a city in and the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina, in the central part: assassination of the Austrian Archduke Francis Ferdinand here June 28, 1914, was the final event that precipitated World War I.

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Also Serajevo.

Words nearby Sarajevo

Saracen, Saragat, Saragossa, Sarah, Sarai, Sarajevo, Saramaccan, Saramago, saran, Saranac Lakes, Sarandon

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

How to use Sarajevo in a sentence

I have lived this scene repeatedly as a child in Sarajevo some three decades ago, and now, children in Ukraine—and many millions around the world—are forced to endure a similar fate.
You Never Stop Being a Child of War|Nadja Halilbegovich|April 26, 2022|Time
While the years were slowly turning in the literary world about whether I could sell that book, I went off to Sarajevo to learn how to be a war reporter.
The Story Behind ‘The Perfect Storm’|jversteegh|October 27, 2021|Outside Online
In later years, her philanthropic work has led her on humanitarian missions in Sarajevo, Rwanda and Myanmar.
Jane Birkin is back with a new album, but her presence is everlasting|Jeff Weiss|March 19, 2021|Washington Post
They both graduated in 1959, returned to Sarajevo to practice medicine and continued to advocate greater freedom in communist Yugoslavia.
Nedzib Sacirbey, a ‘founding father’ of independent Bosnia, dies at 94 of the coronavirus|Phil Davison|March 5, 2021|Washington Post

I remember the days of the Bosnian war (1992—1995), when Saudi Arabia sent convoys of aid to those besieged in Sarajevo.
Saudi Activist Manal Al-Sharif on Why She Removed the Veil|Manal Al Sharif, Advancing Human Rights|October 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A century ago today, Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary embarked on his fatal journey to Sarajevo.
Wounds of World War I Have Yet to Heal|Michael F. Bishop|June 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
That other is the honorary citizenship conferred on me by the city of Sarajevo.
Bernard-Henri Levy Celebrates the Fraternity of Sarajevo Citizenship|Bernard-Henri Lévy|November 30, 2013|DAILY BEAST
I came to Sarajevo for the first time in 1992 with my friend Gilles Hertzog.
Bernard-Henri Levy Celebrates the Fraternity of Sarajevo Citizenship|Bernard-Henri Lévy|November 30, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The Cellist of Sarajevo By Steven Galloway This 2008 novel is a beautiful book.
Mark Kurlansky’s Book Bag: 5 Essential Music Reads|Mark Kurlansky|July 9, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Had she arrived too late or had her visit to Sarajevo been prevented?
The Secret Witness|George Gibbs
But even at night he could not go into Sarajevo without clothing.
The Secret Witness|George Gibbs
And then, regarding his companion with a new interest, "When did you come from Sarajevo?"
The Secret Witness|George Gibbs
She breathed a silent prayer—unless he had not yet reached Sarajevo!
The Secret Witness|George Gibbs
Renwick had been in Sarajevo and Belgrade, for he had told her so.
The Secret Witness|George Gibbs

British Dictionary definitions for Sarajevo

Sarajevo

Serajevo

/ (Bosnian ˈsarajɛvɔ) /

noun

the capital of Bosnia-Herzegovina: developed as a Turkish town in the 15th century; capital of the Turkish and Austro-Hungarian administrations in 1850 and 1878 respectively; scene of the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in 1914, precipitating World War I; besieged by Bosnian Serbs (1992–95). Pop: 603 000 (2005 est)

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 Sarajevo (1 of 2)

Sarajevo

[ (sar-uh-yay-voh, sahr-uh-yay-voh) ]

The city in Bosnia and Herzegovina where the assassination that brought on World War I took place. Archduke Francis Ferdinand, the heir to the throne of the Austrian Empire, had come to Sarajevo on a state visit; Sarajevo was then in one of the South Slavic provinces of the Austrian Empire. A young student who favored South Slavic independence shot and killed the archduke. Austria held the assassin's home country, Serbia, responsible for the incident and declared war; complex European alliances then brought other countries into the fight.

notes for Sarajevo

In 1992 the city came under prolonged and bloody siege by Bosnian Serbs seeking to drive Bosnian Muslims from their homes. In 1995 leaders of the rival Balkan states of Bosnia, Croatia, and Serbia met in the United States and settled on a peace accord to end the fighting.

Cultural definitions for Sarajevo (2 of 2)

Sarajevo

[ (sar-uh-yay-voh, sahr-uh-yay-voh) ]

Capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

notes for Sarajevo

The Austrian Archduke Francis Ferdinand was assassinated there in 1914, which was the immediate cause of World War I. (See under “World History since 1550.”)

notes for Sarajevo

Home of the 1982 winter Olympic Games.

notes for Sarajevo

Attacked and severely damaged in 1992 by Serbian militia. In 1995, leaders of the rival Balkan states of Bosnia, Croatia, and Serbia met in the United States and settled on a peace accord to end the fighting.