Spain

American  

[speyn] / speɪn /

noun

1. a kingdom in SW Europe. Including the Balearic and Canary islands, 194,988 sq. mi. (505,019 sq. km). Madrid.

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Spain British  

/ speɪn /

noun

1. Spanish name: España.  a kingdom of SW Europe, occupying the Iberian peninsula between the Mediterranean and the Atlantic: a leading European power in the 16th century, with many overseas possessions, esp in the New World; became a republic in 1931; under the fascist dictatorship of Franco following the Civil War (1936–39) until his death in 1975; a member of the European Union. It consists chiefly of a central plateau (the Meseta), with the Pyrenees and the Cantabrian Mountains in the north and the Sierra Nevada in the south. Official language: Castilian Spanish, with Catalan, Galician, and Basque official regional languages. Religion: Roman Catholic majority. Currency: euro. Capital: Madrid. Pop: 47 370 542 (2013 est). Area: 504 748 sq km (194 883 sq miles)

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Spain Cultural  

1. Constitutional monarchy in southwestern Europe, consisting of the Spanish mainland (bordered to the northwest by France and to the west by Portugal), the Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean Sea, and the Canary Islands in the Atlantic Ocean. Its capital and largest city is Madrid.

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Spain Idioms  

1. see castles in the air (Spain).

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Discover More

During the sixteenth century, Spain was the greatest world power. Its success was based partially on the riches it acquired in the New World (see Latin America and South America).

In the Spanish-American War, the United States defeated Spain, freed Cuba from Spanish colonial rule, and seized a number of former Spanish colonies, including Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines.

The Spanish monarchy was fully restored in 1975 after Franco's death. He had been dictator (see dictatorship) for thirty-six years.

Under King Juan Carlos, Spain has established a political democracy and has been integrated into the European community.

Bullfighting is a popular spectator sport in Spain.

The destruction of the Spanish Armada, a fleet sent to conquer England in 1588, marked the beginning of the decline of Spanish power.

Basque separatists have carried out many acts of terrorism against Spain.

In the Spanish Civil War, conservatives led by General Francisco Franco overthrew the second Spanish Republic.

Other Word Forms

• anti-Spain
  adjective
• pro-Spain
  adjective

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Spain

Under a longstanding arrangement with Morocco, Spain can immediately expel people who enter its exclaves illegally, a practice known in Spanish as devoluciones en caliente, or “hot returns.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 9, 2026

Both started in Liverpool's dramatic Champions League final win over AC Milan at the end of that season and they went on to play together for Spain.

From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026

Spain introduced new border checks on arrivals from Italy on Saturday, as a dispute between the two countries over migration policy escalated into a tit-for-tat that is testing the unity of the European Union.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 8, 2026

It has been a whirlwind few days in Spain and Jaissle now flies to Newcastle for the first time as head coach.

From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026

I too love our Spanish, and our Jewish community continues to speak it even though we were forced out of Spain centuries ago.

From "Across So Many Seas" by Ruth Behar