Sri Lanka

American

[sree lahng-kuh, lang-kuh, shree] / ˌsri ˈlɑŋ kə, ˈlæŋ kə, ˌʃri /

noun

an island republic in the Indian Ocean, south of India: a member of the Commonwealth of Nations. 25,332 sq. mi. (65,610 sq. km). Colombo.

Sri Lanka British

/ ˌsriː ˈlæŋkə /

noun

Official name (since 1978): Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka. Former name (until 1972): Ceylon. a republic in S Asia, occupying the island of Ceylon: settled by the Sinhalese from S India in about 550 _bc ; became a British colony 1802; gained independence in 1948, becoming a republic within the Commonwealth in 1972. Exports include tea, cocoa, cinnamon, and copra. Official languages: Sinhalese and Tamil; English is also widely spoken. Religion: Hinayana Buddhist majority. Currency: Sri Lanka rupee. Capital: Colombo (administrative), Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte (legislative). Parts of the coast suffered badly in the Indian Ocean tsunami of December 2004. Pop: 21 675 648 (2013 est). Area: 65 610 sq km (25 332 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

Sri Lanka Cultural

Formerly Ceylon, now an island republic in the Indian Ocean just southeast of India.

Discover More

Marked by hostility between its Buddhist Sinhalese majority and Hindu Tamil minority (see Buddhism and Hinduism).

A British colony since 1796, the island became independent in 1948.

Other Word Forms

Sri Lankan 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.

Sri Lanka, whose president also spoke with Mr Sharif about the situation on Monday, had also asked Pakistan to play.

From BBC

Sri Lanka authorities have not publicly addressed the controversy.

From BBC

Salt missed Tuesday's third T20 against Sri Lanka with a back spasm but trained successfully on Friday and will take his place at the top of the order.

From Barron's

I do actually think England are dark horses to win the tournament given how well they played in Sri Lanka and the options they have.

From BBC

But on Friday they conceded Hazlewood had "run out of time" to be fit for the event which begins in India and Sri Lanka on Saturday.

From Barron's

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023