Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com

Singapore

American  
[sing-guh-pawr, -pohr, sing-uh-] / ˈsɪŋ gəˌpɔr, -ˌpoʊr, ˈsɪŋ ə- /

noun

  1. an island on the Strait of Singapore, off the S tip of the Malay Peninsula.

  2. an independent republic comprising this island and a few adjacent islets: member of the Commonwealth of Nations; formerly a British crown colony (1946–59) and member of the federation of Malaysia (1963–65). 220 sq. mi. (570 sq. km). Singapore.

  3. a seaport in and the capital of this republic.


Singapore British  
/ ˌsɪŋɡə-, ˌsɪŋəˈpɔː /

noun

  1. a republic in SE Asia, occupying one main island and over 50 small islands at the S end of the Malay Peninsula: established as a British trading post in 1819 and became part of the Straits Settlements in 1826; occupied by the Japanese (1942–45); a British colony from 1946, becoming self-governing in 1959; part of the Federation of Malaysia from 1963 to 1965, when it became an independent republic (within the Commonwealth). Official languages: Chinese, Malay, English, and Tamil. Religion: Buddhist, Taoist, traditional beliefs, and Muslim. Currency: Singapore dollar. Capital: Singapore. Pop: 5 460 302 (2013 est). Area: now over 700 sq km (270 sq miles), increased in recent years as a result of land reclamation schemes

  2. the capital of the republic of Singapore: a major international port; administratively not treated as a city

"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

Singapore Cultural  
  1. An island republic in Southeast Asia at the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula.


Discover More

It is one of the world's biggest and busiest ports.

Though only 225 square miles in size, it is a major economic power in Asia.

A British colony from 1946 to 1959, Singapore then became independent.

Other Word Forms

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.

See Examples For:

Its great colonial naval base in Asia would be in Singapore, allowing control of Malacca, through which the largest share of global maritime traffic from China now passes.

From Barron's Jul. 21, 2026

Priests from countries including Singapore, Malaysia, Cambodia and India were already lining up for training, Syquia added.

From Barron's Jul. 19, 2026

The U.S. dollar is little changed at 1.2907 Singapore dollars, FactSet data show.

From The Wall Street Journal Jul. 17, 2026

The six fast-response cutters are approved to operate from Singapore and Subic Bay in the Philippines at least through September.

From The Wall Street Journal Jul. 15, 2026

So I say, “I might go to Argentina or Singapore for school. I’m not applying any place less than two thousand miles away.”

From "All The Bright Places" by Jennifer Niven

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Join 12,000,000 vocabulary learners

Start learning new words today on VocabTrainer.
You'll remember them forever.

Start training