Senegal

American  

[sen-i-gawl, -gahl] / ˌsɛn ɪˈgɔl, -ˈgɑl /

noun

1. a republic in western Africa, bordered on the west by the Atlantic Ocean and on the east by Mali. 76,084 square miles (197,057 square kilometers). Dakar.

2. a river in western Africa, flowing northwest from eastern Mali to the Atlantic Ocean at Saint-Louis in Senegal. About 1,000 miles (1,600 kilometers) long.

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Senegal British  

/ ˌsɛnɪˈɡɔːl /

noun

1. a republic in West Africa, on the Atlantic: made part of French West Africa in 1895; became fully independent in 1960; joined with The Gambia to form the Confederation of Senegambia (1982–89); mostly low-lying, with semidesert in the north and tropical forest in the southwest Official language: French. Religion: Muslim majority. Currency: franc. Capital: Dakar. Pop: 13 300 410 (2013 est). Area: 197 160 sq km (76 124 sq miles)

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Senegal Cultural  

1. Republic in western Africa, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Mauritania to the north, Mali to the east, and Guinea and Guinea-Bissau to the south. Dakar is the capital and largest city.

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Discover More

Senegal was a French colony from 1895 to 1958. It became fully independent in 1960.

Etymology

Origin of Senegal

First recorded in 1750–60; from French Sénégal, named after the Senegal River

Example Sentences

Belgium advanced with a 3-2 win over Senegal in extra time.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 2, 2026

Next, to reach the quarterfinals once again, they’ll go up against another European power after Belgium stormed back from 2-0 down against Senegal to win 3-2 earlier in the day.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 2, 2026

It is the first debutant to go unbeaten in the group stage since Senegal in 2002.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 1, 2026

However as the game against Senegal progressed, there were points of friction in France's game and Deschamps looked to fix things - fast.

From BBC • Jun. 30, 2026

So we were all to meet up there in Senegal and travel around for a few weeks seeing the sights.

From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver