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Siberia

American  
[sahy-beer-ee-uh] / saɪˈbɪər i ə /

noun

  1. Russian Sibir.  an extensive region in the Russian Federation in N Asia, extending from the Ural Mountains to the Pacific.

  2. any undesirable or isolated locale, job, etc., to which one is assigned as punishment, a mark of disfavor, or the like.

Siberia British  
/ saɪˈbɪərɪə /

noun

  1. a vast region of Russia and N Kazakhstan: extends from the Ural Mountains to the Pacific and from the Arctic Ocean to the borders with China and Mongolia; colonized after the building of the Trans-Siberian Railway. Area: 13 807 037 sq km (5 330 896 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
Siberia Cultural  

  1. Region of Russia stretching from north-central to northeastern Asia.

Discover More

As a consequence of Siberia's harsh conditions and its historical function as a place of punishment, to be “sent to Siberia” has become a metaphor for demotion, disgrace, or other forms of status diminution.

Known for its vast space, long and severely cold winters, and few inhabitants widely scattered in small settlements, Siberia has been for many centuries a place of political and criminal exile for Russians who anger the government's authorities.

Other Word Forms

  • Siberian adjective
  • trans-Siberian adjective

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.

At Tyumen University in Siberia, some 2,000 students signed a petition against a move to make the school’s Wi-Fi accessible only through Max.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026

"It was like being in the depths of Siberia," one local was quoted as saying.

From BBC • Mar. 14, 2026

Known as the Power of Siberia 2, the long-discussed project raises the risk that Beijing becomes overreliant on Russia for energy.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 10, 2026

As in their previous investigations, the researchers examined Ediacaran age rocks collected from drill cores and outcrops in Oman, western India, and Siberia.

From Science Daily • Feb. 27, 2026

Later, in the 1920s, he escaped a prison camp in Siberia and made his way to the United States.

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

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.